When the Sky Falls for the Flame
by SilverWrath
Summary: Four years after she joined Fairy Tail, Wendy is on a job with her team when tragedy strikes. Only one man can help her through it. Can the pair survive their ordeal and end up closer because of it?
1. A New Day Dawns

**When the Sky Falls for the Flame**

 _This is my first story in quite a long time. But I do enjoy writing fanficton so I am going to start writing again._

 _A quick note: This is a Natsu x Wendy story that takes place 4 years after the Grand Magic Games Arc. I think is pair is utterly adorable and I really want to write a great fanfiction about them_

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Fairy Tail or any of it's characters.**

Chapter 1 - Dawn of a New Day

The Sun peaked over the horizon as the dawn of a new day swept over the quiet city of Magnolia. While most of the city was just now beginning to wake, there was one place that never truly slept: The magical guild Fairy Tail. Fairy Tail was a place where those who practiced magic were always welcome. Wizards from all over the land could join the guild to find work, safety, or just to make friends. Fairy Tail was truly the shining star of Magnolia.

In a particularly quiet section of town stands a large building known as Fairy Hills. This place is a dormitory that the majority of Fairy Tail's female wizards call home. Inside the halls of Fairy Hills sleeps a young, blue haired woman by the name of Wendy Marvell. Wendy is a wizard who has been a member of Fairy Tail for nearly four years. She practices Sky Dragon Slayer Magic, a rare form of support magic only taught to those who have been raised by a Sky Dragon. Despite being only sixteen years old, Wendy is an extremely talented wizard and a valuable member of Fairy Tail.  
This morning however, she does not want to be either of those things.

As the morning sun shines in though her window, Wendy groans and pulls her blanket over her head. She was up late last night hanging out in the guild hall with several other members. Wendy did not get back to Fairy Hills until close to 4 a.m., so Wendy had gotten very little sleep last night. Her feeble attempt at making the Sun go away is thwarted by the sound of someone speaking next to her bed.

"Wendy Marvell, you will get up this instant." A voice said, clearly disappointed in the young girls behavior. Standing next to the girl's bed was Carla, A white, talking cat and Wendy's constant companion. The two of them had been together for nearly as long as Wendy could remember. While Carla had been at the guild hall last night, she had left the guild hall far sooner than Wendy had, so she was not nearly as tired as her young companion. "I told you not to stay out so late." Carla said jumping up onto the bed next to Wendy. "You should have left when I did. If you had, you wouldn't be in this sorry state." Wendy pulled the blanket further over her head so only the tips of her long hair poked out from underneath.

"mmmfmmm mmm mfffmm mfffm…." Replied the talking blanket. Carla sighed again and shook her head. Somehow, Carla understood every word.

"That isn't the point young lady." Carla said grabbing at the blanket. "If you keep acting this stubbornly, you will sleep your entire day away." Carla pulled the blanket and easily pulled it away from the half sleeping girl. "And that is completely unacceptable." Wendy, now blanketless, sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes.

"I wasn't planning on sleeping all day…" Wendy said sleepily. Carla jumped off the bed and walked across the room. "Just for another hour…" Carla crossed her arms in disgust.

"As I already said: That is unacceptable." The sassy cat said. "We had an early day today and you knew that. This is nobody's fault except your own. Now get out of bed and get ready. We have to meet the rest of the team at the Guild hall in a little over an hour." Wendy looked at the clock on the wall. Carla was right and she knew it. Her team was taking a job this morning and they wanted to get an early start on whatever job they chose. Wendy didn't want to miss that.

"Yeah, alright I'm up..." Wendy said climbing out of bed and stretching. She walked over to her closet and gathered up the necessary items for a morning bath. A quick dip in the bath was one of her favorite ways to wake up in the morning. "I'm going to take a quick bath, are you coming?" She asked. Carla nodded.

"Of course." Carla said. "We will be leaving early today and this will be our only chance for a bath before we leave. So let's go." Wendy nodded to Carla and opened the door to their room. The pair walked down the hall towards the open bath area. It isn't as private as their own bathroom, but Wendy prefers the large bathroom over their small one. As they drew closer to the bathroom, Carla looked up at Wendy. "Now that I think about it," She said thoughtfully. "Did you walk home by yourself last night?" Wendy shook her head.

"No." She said simply. "Natsu walked me home. He said he was heading this way anyway so it was no trouble." A small smile flashed across her face as she thought about it. Carla raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? He did, did he?" Carla asked. "Is that ALL he did?" Wendy felt her face get warmer as her cheeks turned red. She knew exactly what Carla was implying.

"Y-Yes that's all" She stammered nervously trying to ignore her rapidly heating cheeks. "W-w-w-what do you mean? What else would have happened?" Carla smiled, clearly enjoying Wendy's nervous reaction.

"Oh, nothing never mind. Forget I said anything." She said as she entered the open bathroom. Wendy sighed and followed the evil little cat.

* * *

Nearly an hour later, Wendy and Carla were approaching the Guild Hall. The walk from Fairy Hill to Fairy Tail's guild hall only took less than ten minutes so they were in no major rush. After just a few short minutes, the guild hall came into view. A gentle chill ran through Wendy. She always got chills whenever she saw that building. It represented something incredibly precious to her: family. When Wendy first came to Fairy Tail nearly four years ago, she was alone in the world. The only true constant she had in her life was the small white cat walking next to her. Everyone else in her life either walked away, or literally didn't exist. But Fairy Tail was different. She knew even before she walked through those doors that no matter what happened to her, no matter how nervous or scared she was, this place was safe. No one in Fairy Tail would ever judge her. She was a member of the Fairy Tail Guild. No… A member of the Fairy Tail Family. And she knew that would never change.

As she reached for the door handle to open the door, the young woman was powerless to stop a large grin from spreading across her face. It was nearly time for a new adventure to begin. Wendy turned the handle and began opening the door when suddenly-

CRASH!

The doors to the guild hall were forcefully flung open and something flew out of them. Wendy was hit by the door and thrown to the ground. The young woman yelped in pain as she sat on the ground next to the doors.

"Ow…" She whined, rubbing her face. "That really hurt. What the heck was that?" Wendy looked at the object that had knocked her off her feet. Laying on the ground a few feet away from her was a half-naked man with dark hair. Wendy immediately recognized him. His name was Grey Fullbuster, another wizard of Fairy Tail. Specifically, he was an Ice Wizard, and he had a few very strange habits. Most notably, Grey had a strange habit of stripping off his clothes for no reason. "Grey?" She asked. "What's going on? Are you alright?" She stood up and tried speaking to the man, but her questions were ignored.

"Dammit! That was a cheap shot you jerk!" Grey shouted as he jumped to his feet and leapt back inside. Wendy pouted and carefully peaked around the door. Carla quickly spoke up.

"Careful child." She said sternly. "No doubt those hooligans are fighting already." Carla shook her head. "I swear: how can they have this much energy at this hour. They should be putting that energy into something more productive and less ridiculous." Wendy really wasn't listening. She poked her head inside the hall and looked around.

It was just as Carla had said, the entire hall was in chaos. Everywhere she looked Wendy saw nothing but men and women flying in all directions. Furniture was flying and people were shouting constantly. Another smile spread itself across Wendy's face. This was just another perk of being a member of Fairy Tail: Thing were never boring.

Wendy carefully inched her way around the edge of the room, trying to avoid the fights erupting all around her. She made her way to the back wall of the guild where a beautiful woman with long white hair stood behind the bar cleaning and working as if nothing was going on. This beautiful woman was Mirajane Strauss, one of the more powerful and more laid back wizards in the guild. As soon as she saw Wendy and Carla approaching, Mira grinned and waved her over.

"Good morning, Wendy, Good morning, Carla." She said over the ruckus. Mira suddenly ducked as a chair sailed across the room and slammed into the wall behind her. "I hope you didn't have too much trouble getting through that." She said giggling and standing back up holding a few pieces of the projectile chair. "Anything I can get for you two?" She asked politely. Wendy shook her head.

"No thanks Mira." She said over the shouting. Wendy and Carla both sat down at the bar to hopefully avoid being dragged into the brawl, "We were supposed to meet the rest of our team this morning to take a new job," She said gloomily. "But I'm guessing that won't be happening for a while…." Wendy dropped her head onto the bar with a soft thud. Mira brought her finger to her chin and glanced up at the ceiling.

"Hmm, I'm pretty sure that's how this all started." Mira said thoughtfully. She shrugged. "Oh well. Anyway I wouldn't worry about it. This shouldn't last too much longer." Mira motioned back towards the brawl in the middle of the guild. Most of the combatants were in fact on the floor and either weren't getting back up or were fleeing to the edges of the hall to escape. "See? Almost over." Carla shook her head again and Wendy nodded.

"I see that." She said smiling. As the chaos began to die down, Wendy was able to scan the room for the other member of her team. She quickly picked Grey out of the crowd. He was often at the center of these fights so he wasn't hard to miss. Not far away, Wendy spotted another member of her team: Erza Scarlet. Erza was an imposing woman and was considered one of the most powerful wizards in the guild. She used a type of magic called Requip Magic that allowed her to equip any magical set of armor and weapons she chose. Erza was near the center of the fight too, but she was more interested in scolding the combatants rather than fighting them.

"Knock it off all of you!" Erza commanded. She had a very strong presence and most of the brawling guild members quickly backed down as to not incur her wrath. "This is no way for a civilized guild to behave!" She shouted as she began physically separating the guild members. Wendy nodded.

"So there are those two," She said to no one in particular. "And if they are there, then he should be-" Her words were cut off as a small explosion sent most of the remaining combatants flying in random directions. Standing in the center of the explosion was a pink haired man with a huge grin on his face. His name was Natsu Dragneel. The same Natsu that walked Wendy home from the party last night. Seeing Natsu standing in the middle of the room grinning like an idiot and fighting anyone that came into arms reach made the smile on Wendy's face grow even larger. 'Yep. There he is.' She thought happily. Natsu was a strong and funny young man that practiced Fire Dragon Slayer Magic. Both he and Wendy practiced Dragon Slayer magic, but his was considerably more geared towards offense than hers was. The two of them had been close friends for years and Wendy had a bit of a crush on him. He was the one that originally saved her and brought her into Fairy Tail. As soon as she joined Fairy Tail four years ago, she almost immediately joined Natsu's team and as she had grown older, she had developed a crush on the young man.

As Wendy sat there watching Natsu turn his attention to Grey and Erza, she felt her cheeks getting warm. She shook her head and continued scanning the room for the remaining to members of their team. Not seeing either one of them she looked at Carla, who was still facing away from the brawl.

"Hey Carla?" Wendy asked. "Have you seen Happy or Lucy since we got here?" Wendy scanned the room again to try and find them but quickly found her attention resting on Natsu. She shook her head again and turned back around in her seat to avoid watching him again. "I haven't seen either of them yet." Carla snorted and turned her head away.

"As if I'd care about where that tomcat is!" Carla stated a bit too defensively. Wendy giggled. Happy was the name of Natsu's cat. He could also talk just like Carla but he was blue instead of white and he was a bit on the ditzy side. Happy had a serious crush on Carla and a lot of people said she felt the same, but even after all this time, Carla would never admit it. It was adorable to watch. Before Wendy could say anything else Mira interrupted her.

"Ahh Wendy?" Mira said flatly. "You might want to move…" Wendy cocked her head at Mira.

"Umm.. excuse me Mira but why wou- EEEEEP" Wendy squealed as her answer was prematurely cut off. A stray Natsu had been thrown from across the room and he had crashed into her. Wendy and Natsu slammed into the bar and bounced over it, landing on the floor behind it. "oww.. that really really hurt…" Wendy moaned quietly. Natsu sat up and giggled.

"Whoops. Sorry about that Wendy." Natsu chuckled. "Didn't mean to drag you into this." He stood up and held out his hand to her. "Need a hand?" Wendy smiled and felt her cheeks getting warm again. She ignored it and nervously held out her hand.

"S-Sure Natsu. Thanks." She said as he pulled her to his feet. Natsu grinned at her.

"No problem." He replied. Before he could say anything else Carla pointed a paw at him.

"You barbarian!" She exclaimed angrily. "Be careful where you launch yourself! You could have crushed poor Wendy!" Natsu laughed.

"Nah, I wouldn't do that." He said nonchalantly. "And if you are going to yell at someone," He jabbed a finger at Erza. "Then yell at her! She's the one who threw me!" Carla huffed and ignored him. Natsu rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Wendy again. "Whatever, so fellow Dragon Slayer, wanna help me crush Erza?" He asked with an evil grin. Wendy felt an icy chill run up her back. She'd love to help him but not with this. She shook her head quickly, feeling her hair bounce from side to side.

"N-No thanks Natsu." She said timidly. "B-but you go right ahead. I'll cheer you on from here and I'll even heal you afterwards, okay?" She said with a weak smile. His grin turned from evil to warm in an instant and he gave her a thumbs up.

"Sounds like a plan to me!" He shouted and jumped up onto the bar, much to Carla's disgust. He was about to leap back into the now nearly dead brawl when he stopped and looked at Wendy. "Oh right, I almost forgot." He said grinning. "We will get our job and take off as soon as Happy gets back with Lucy. She was taking too long. Okay?" He asked. Wendy gave him a thumbs up and smiled back at him.

"Sounds like a plan to me!" She said mimicking him. Natsu howled and leapt at Erza. Wendy sighed and took her seat back at the bar. She could feel her cheeks still tingling and asked Mira for a cold glass of water to cool them down. As Mira handed her the drink she heard a commotion behind her.

"NATSU NO! KNOCK IT OFF!" Erza shouted followed by a loud thud that sounded like someone being slammed against the wood floor. After that everything went quiet. Erza's authoritative voice cut through the silence like a knife. "That's enough all of you! Look at the mess you made. Anyone who can still stand better start cleaning or you will answer to me!" Erza exclaimed. The brawl ended completely and everyone who could still stand began helping clean up the mess they had made, with Erza's supervision of course. Wendy quickly drank her water and spun around on her chair. She jumped off her seat and began walking over to the others. Carla looked over her shoulder.

"Wendy? Where are you going?" She asked. Wendy turned around but kept walking towards the others.

"I'm going to help clean up. I might not have fought but I can still help the others clean up. We are family after all." She said simply. "Oh and I might heal Natsu." She replied sweetly. Carla sighed and walked over to help as well. Wendy spun around and started cleaning up the broken pieces of furniture. As she helped she heard a strangled moan a few feet away. She glanced over and saw Natsu twitching on the floor. She smiled warmly at him. "Hold on Natsu. I'll heal you in a second okay?" Wendy's heart ached as Natsu answered with a weak thumbs up before probably losing consciousness. Wendy turned her attention to Erza who had Grey pinned to the floor beneath her foot.

"Umm… Excuse me Erza?" Wendy asked quietly. Erza turned her attention away from the struggling man beneath her foot and looked at Wendy. A sweet smile appeared on her face.

"Oh good morning Wendy." Erza replied sweetly. "How are you feeling today? I know you were out pretty late last night. You must be exhausted." It unnerved Wendy how quickly Erza could go from the most terrifying person in the world to the sweetest and most polite person you would even meet in a heartbeat.

"Oh…I'm okay t-thank you for asking." Wendy answered "I was just wondering if we were planning on leaving soon." Wendy asked. Erza nodded.

"We sure are. We just have to wait for Happy to bring Lucy. We think she slept in." Erza motioned to the request board where all of the job requests were posted. "I was just going over to pick our job. Would you care to join me?" Erza stepped forward putting all of her weight on Greys back earning a grunt of pain from the pinned man. Wendy nodded happily and followed her over to the board. They stopped right in front of the board. There were dozens of jobs listed and Wendy had no idea where to start.

"Uhh... Do you have any idea which one to pick?" Wendy asked. Erza nodded.

"I certainly do." She pointed at a request on the board. She snatched it off the board faster than Wendy could read it. The only thing Wendy was able to read was the word "CONVICTS". Erza motioned over to Mira behind the bar.

"Hey Mira," She called. "We're taking the convict job." Mira called back in agreement as Grey struggled his way over to the two women.

"That's the job we're taking? I read that one earlier. It sounds like a piece of cake." He said rubbing his back. "Alright then let's go. We can meet Lucy and Happy along the way." Erza nodded.

"Agreed. We have wasted enough time already. Let's head to the train station." Erza said motioning for the others to follow. "I have all my stuff outside so let's leave immediately." The rest of the team agreed and headed for the door.

* * *

Erza, Grey, Wendy and Carla walked down the road leading up to Lucy's house. They planned to stop by her house to collect her and Happy before heading to the train station.

It was going to be a beautiful day and Wendy couldn't be more excited to go on another adventure with her friends. The only problem was that she couldn't shake the feeling that they were forgetting something. Wendy decided to ask the others.

"Hey guys," She asked. "Is it just me or are we forgetting something?" Grey sneered.

"Oh I don't know." He glared at Erza. "Maybe we should ask the foot shaped bruise I have on my back." He snapped. Erza refused to acknowledge his complaint and answered Wendy.

"No, I can't think of anything." She said thoughtfully. "Maybe you are having this feeling because we haven't met up with Happy and Lucy yet." Wendy nodded in agreement.

"Yeah you might be right…" She replied. She wasn't entirely convinced though. She decided to ask Natsu. "Hey Natsu?" She asked. When she received no reply she stopped and looked around. "Natsu?" She asked again. Again, there was no reply. Wendy was puzzled for a second before her eyes widened in shock. At that same moment everyone else came to the same realization and froze in place. Erza was the first to speak.

"We didn't…." She said quietly. Carla sighed.

"Oh for Pete's sake." She groaned. Grey choked.

"You can't be serious!" He exclaimed. By this point Wendy was panicking and nearly in tears.

"OH MY GOSH I DIDN'T HEAL NATSU!" She shouted in horror. "OH MY GOSH I LEFT HIM OUT COLD ON THE FLOOR!" She shouted louder as she spun around in place and began running back towards the guild as fast as she could. She only made it a few yards before she tripped over her own feet and fell flat on her face.

End Chapter 1


	2. A New Adventure Begins!

**When the Sky Falls for the Flame**

Chapter 2 - The Adventure begins!

"I can't believe you guys forgot me in the guild." Natsu pouted as he led the team on their walk to Lucy's house. "I mean, come on that's just messed up." He said with an annoyed tone. Wendy felt tears welling up in her eyes. She didn't like the idea of Natsu being mad at her.

"I'm sorry Natsu…" Wendy said for the tenth time since they left the guild hall. She was so mad at herself for completely forgetting him and to make matters even worse, her face still hurt. "I'm sorry…" She said again. Natsu looked at her over his shoulder and slowed his pace to match hers. He walked next to her and gently leaned his elbow on her shoulder.

"Ah come on Wendy… Please don't cry." He said softly. "I didn't mean to make you cry." His calm words gained him a curious look from Erza and Carla. "Besides," He said cheerfully. "What are you sorry for? You came back to get me didn't you?" He said with a smile. Wendy nodded without saying anything. "See? I can't be mad at you." Natsu reassured her. To Wendy's disappointment, Natsu removed his elbow from her shoulder and redirected his attention to the rest of the group. "You're the ONLY one who did." He said as he glared at the back of Erza's head. Erza shrugged.

"You're a big boy." She said calmly. "You knew we were in a hurry. If you didn't want to be left behind, you shouldn't have fallen asleep." Natsu let out a sarcastic laugh.

"I wouldn't have been sleeping in the first place if someone hadn't slammed me into the floor!" He shouted. Grey sighed and rolled his eyes.

"You know there's a big difference between sleeping and getting your ass knocked out, right?" He said trying to provoke Natsu. Natsu jumped over to Grey and was about to say something when Wendy spoke up.

"Hey guys," She said finally calming herself down. "Could we argue about something else?" Wendy really didn't want the others to keep fighting. Erza slowed her pace to match Wendy's as Grey and Natsu continued arguing.

"Of course." She replied. "You and I can talk about something more interesting." Erza looked at Wendy. "So Wendy, do you know what is happening in Magnolia next week?" Erza asked quiet enough that the others couldn't hear her.

"Next week?" Wendy asked putting her finger on her chin. "Nothing comes to mind. What is it?" Erza smiled.

"I'm surprised you don't remember." She said with a sly grin. "And here I thought you had so much fun at the Harvest Festival the last couple years." Wendy gasped.

"That's right!" She exclaimed. "The Harvest Festival and the Fantasia Parade are next week! It's one of the biggest festivals in Magnolia!" Erza nodded.

"That's right." She said with a kind giggle. "You know, there are a lot of events that take place during the Harvest Festival besides the parade..." Erza said as she turned her head to look at Natsu and Grey. The two men were shouting as Carla scolded them for being childish. "And it's a lot more fun when you have someone special to enjoy it with." As Erza finished her sentence, she seemed to motion her head in Natsu's direction. After a couple of seconds, she looked back at Wendy. "Just something to think about." An idea hit Wendy almost immediately. Her eyes widened and her mouth went dry at the thought.

'I could see if Natsu wants to go to the Harvest Festival with me!' She exclaimed in her head. 'He loves the Harvest Festival more than anyone and I'm sure he wouldn't mind spending it with me…I hope...' Wendy's head was bursting with ideas and fantasies. She was so happy that she couldn't stop herself from smiling and giggling out loud. Erza smiled and quickened her pace to return to her original spot in the middle of the group. She had planted the seed and she knew it. Wendy looked at Natsu and felt her cheeks warming up. 'I think I'll ask him now before we-' Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a familiar voice calling out to her team.

"Hey you guys!" A clearly blonde woman's voice called. "There you are! I was worried you were going to leave without me!" Wendy looked up the street and saw Lucy and Happy running towards them. Lucy was a very curvaceous young woman who practiced an unusual form of magic. Lucy practiced Celestial Spirt Magic. Celestial Wizards do not usually fight, but instead they summon spirits from another world to fight for them. Natsu looked at the newcomers and smiled.

"Hey! About time you guys showed up." He said as the pair reached the rest of the team. As soon as Lucy and Happy reached them they continued their walk to the train station. Natsu turned his attention to Lucy. "Jeez Lucy, I was starting to think your beauty sleep was more important to you than making money." Natsu teased. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Listen pyro. My rent is coming due soon, so nothing is more important to me that than making money. Plus with the Festival coming up I'm going to need all of the extra jewels I can get my hands on." Lucy said sourly. "And maybe if you morons hadn't decided to stay up partying until 4 in the morning maybe I would have actually been able to get some actual sleep!" She snapped. Grey laughed.

"Well, no one said you had to stay up with us." He said as his clothes seemed to magically disappear.

"Okay! First off: Put your clothes back on!" She shouted. "Second off, I tried to leave early, but Levy wouldn't let me. She said I would have killed her buzz." Lucy shrugged. "So see? Not my fault." Natsu and Happy shook their heads.

"Sounds like someone has no self-control." Happy said giggling. Lucy picked him up off the ground and held him by back of his head.

"Shut it fur ball. No one asked you." She said threateningly. Happy squirmed his way out of her grip and jumped onto Natsu's shoulder. Natsu cut them off before they could say anything else.

"Oh well, it doesn't matter." He said. "Now that you're here Lucy our team is at full strength!" Natsu held his hand out to high five Lucy. She smiled warmly.

"Heck yeah it is!" She said accepting his high five. "Let's kick some butt!" Lucy and Natsu laughed. Wendy felt a frown clawing at the edges of her face as her fantasies came crashing down around her.

'They're so close…' She thought sadly. Wendy's pace began to slow as her thoughts turned sour. Before she knew it, she had fallen well behind the others. Wendy felt a weird tightness in her chest and it only took her a few seconds to realize what it was. She was jealous. Lucy and Natsu had been best friends for years. They had been a team long before Wendy had even joined Fairy Tail. There were people in the guild who said that the two of them end up falling in love someday. When Wendy first joined the guild four years ago, she believed that too. She thought that Natsu and Lucy them would make an adorable couple. But as time had passed, she grew more and more attached to the pink haired Dragon Slayer. Now the thought of the two of them ending up together caused a dull pain in her chest. Both of them were deeply precious to her and she never wanted to see either of them hurt, but she hated the idea of them falling for one another. 'Why do I feel this way? Is it okay for me to want Natsu all to myself?' She asked herself. 'Does it make me a horrible person to hope that Natsu ignores Lucy and falls for me?' As much as she didn't want to admit it, a part of her honestly wished for that to happen. That realization made her feel like the worst person in the world. Wendy squirmed uncomfortably as she fell further and further behind the group.

"Wendy?" A voice said. Wendy was so lost in her own thoughts she didn't understand that a voice was talking to her. At this very moment whatever the others were talking about didn't matter to her. The only thing she could think about was how horrible her own thoughts were. "Hello? Wendy? You okay in there?" The voice asked. Again she disregarded it. Any chance of Natsu spending the Harvest Festival with her was gone. Lucy had been glued to Natsu's side for the entirety of the festival last year and Wendy figured the same thing would happen this year. Wendy looked down at the ground. It was foolish of her to even think that maybe Natsu would rather spend his time with her. Lucy was so much prettier and her chest was so much bigger than Wendy's. There's no way Natsu could ever choose her over Lucy. "Hey Weeeeeennnnddddy? What's up? Are you hungry or something?" There was that voice again. It was starting to annoy her. Wendy sighed. She couldn't believe that she let her get her hopes up like that. She should have known better. "Okay that's it." The voice said abruptly. Suddenly, Wendy felt herself scooped up off the ground. The strange feeling knocked her back into reality.

"Hey!" She gasped. "What's going on!?" She looked over to who was carrying her. As soon as she saw whose arms she rested in she felt her face start burning. Natsu's warm smile beamed back at her. "N-N-N-N-Natsu?!" Wendy stuttered. "W-w-w-what are you doing?" Natsu's smile grew wider.

"You were falling behind." He said nodding his head forward. Wendy looked in the direction he pointed. Sure enough, while she was lost in her own mind, she had fallen way behind the rest of the team. "We thought you might have fallen asleep back here or something." Natsu said laughing. "So, I came back to find you." Wendy looked back at him.

"Y-You didn't have to do that." She said softly. "I would have caught up eventually… I don't want to be a burden to you..." Wendy said. Her words came out more depressing than she meant them to be. Natsu shook his head.

"Never gonna happen." He said without looking at her. "There's no way you could ever be a burden." Wendy could see the others up ahead. They had almost caught up. "You're a member of this team and we need you just as much as we need ice-for-brains or Erza. It just wouldn't be the same without you. Besides," Natsu looked at her and gave her a toothy grin. "You're way too fun to leave behind." Wendy felt her heart melting away. She was stunned and didn't know how to respond. Only one idea came into her frazzled mind and before her brain had a chance to think about it, her mouth chose to ask it.

"Hey Natsu?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah?" He replied.

"I'm pretty tired." She said sheepishly. "Would you mind if I stayed like this until we got to the train?" She instantly regretted her choice and felt her entire body tense while she waited for his answer.

"Sure." He said with a smile. "I'll carry you all the way to the station. So take it easy, Okay?" Wendy was powerless to stop her own toothy grin from spreading across her face. She felt her heart beat increasing with every passing second.

"That's fine. Thank you Natsu." She said happily.

"No problem." He said quietly as the pair reached the others. Their arrival was met with a curious glance from Carla and a smiling nod from Erza, but Wendy didn't care. Even if it didn't mean anything in the long run, she was completely content with this. Wendy didn't say or hear another word all the way to the station.

* * *

Wendy looked out at the world as it rushed past her window. The team had boarded their train and were on their way to their next adventure. Wendy was still in a euphoric daze from having Natsu carry her to the station. She secretly wished that she could have come up with some excuse to stay in his arms, but he was physically unable to hold himself up after the train started to move. She looked over at the young man sitting across from her. He was slumped down in his seat with the sickliest look on his face. It was an extremely common trait for Dragon Slayers to get extreme motion sickness. Natsu had a particularly bad case to the point where he was barely conscious most of the time. Wendy herself suffered from motion sickness as well, but her case was considerably less severe than Natsu's. She was still able to function, but she constantly felt sick when riding in any kind of vehicle. She always figured this was because her particular type of Dragon Slayer Magic could be used to temporarily cure motion sickness. As a Sky Dragon Slayer, Wendy was able to temporarily cure motion sickness with a spell called Troia, but her spell would only work a few times. Even if she did cast the Troia spell, it would only be effective for a short time. She wanted to cast it on Natsu and give him even a short rest, but there was a very intimidating obstacle in the way.

"Erza?" she asked looking at the red haired woman. "Are you sure I can't treat Natsu's motion sickness?" She asked timidly. Erza shook her head.

"No. You cannot." She said simply. "Natsu has done nothing but act like a violent fool since we left the Guild. This is the only chance any of us will get to relax before we get to our stop and I will not let him ruin it." Erza looked over at Wendy. "So no. I'm sorry but you can't help your boyfriend." She said with a mischievous smile. Wendy's eyes opened so wide that they almost popped out of her head and her cheeks felt like they were on fire. Her heart started beating like crazy and she had no idea what to say. Before she had a chance to react, Erza changed the subject. "So, Lucy, Happy." She said looking over at the others sitting across from her, leaving Wendy to contemplate jumping out the window to avoid embarrassment. "I don't believe you two know anything about the job we chose." Lucy shook her head. Wendy's heart stopped at the thought of Lucy catching what Erza had said. She prayed that she hadn't.

"Nope." She said sipping at a bottle of water she had. "What are we doing? More importantly, what horrifying place are you dragging us to this time?" She asked putting the bottle down and giving her full attention to Erza. If she had heard Erza's comment to Wendy, she gave no indication of it. Wendy breathed a sigh of relief as she calmed herself down. She could still feel her heart beating like crazy. She looked over at Natsu to see if he heard caught Erza's remark. The man looked so out of it that the train could probably explode and he wouldn't notice. Wendy smiled as Natsu made a strange gurgling sound that no one else paid any attention to. Grey reached into his pocket and pulled out the flyer.

"We're going to a place called Everwater Mountain. It's a mountain with dozens of never-ending rivers running down its slope." He said unfolding the paper and handing it to Erza. "At the base of Everwater Mountain, is a town appropriately named Everwater City. The town has asked for help with a problem that recently moved onto their mountain." Happy's eyes lit up.

"Everfish Mountain sounds like there would be a lot of fish there!" He exclaimed stupidly. Lucy dropped her head into her hand and refused to look at the blue cat.

"That literally isn't even close to what he said." She sighed. Lucy motioned to Erza with her hand. "Please tell us about the job before it chooses to speak again." Erza cleared her throat and took the flyer from Grey.

"Very well. About a month ago, around a hundred inmates from a prison in our capital city of Crocus staged a massive prison riot for reasons that were not disclosed to the public. The inmates broke out of the prison, escaped the city and scattered to the wind. Over the past month, the vast majority of the inmates have been captured and returned to the prison." She said looking at the flyer. Wendy cocked her head to the side.

"The vast majority?" She asked a little concerned. "What about the rest? Does our job have something to do with them?" Erza nodded.

"Both excellent questions." She said handing the flyer to Lucy. "Yes, we will be dealing with some of the escaped convicts. According to the reports, there are ten convicts that are still unaccounted for. Master Makarov told me that all ten are most likely hiding out together. He also believes that they have made their way to Everwater Mountain and have gone into hiding on the mountain." Lucy scratched her head.

"So we are going to what? Recapture the convicts?" She asked uncomfortably. "Isn't that a job for the army or something?" Erza nodded.

"You aren't wrong. From what the Master has told me about the situation, after hearing about the first successful revolt, prisoners all across Fiore have begun rising up to break out of their prisons. The Fiore Royal Military has its hands full keeping order within their prisons, so recapturing this small group of escapees is not a high priority at the moment." Erza stopped talking to take a drink from her own water bottle. Lucy leaned back in her seat as if lost in thought. Happy looked up at her.

"Careful Lucy. You don't want to hurt yourself by thinking too hard." He said giggling. Lucy glared at him but said nothing. Wendy glanced back at Natsu. She didn't think he was hearing any of this. The poor guy looked like he was about to turn into a puddle at Wendy's feet. Carla, who had been sitting on Wendy's lap this whole time, spoke up.

"So, these convicts have taken up residency on their mountain, and the townspeople want them removed. Sadly there is no help coming from the Royal Military so they contacted us for help. Is that about right?" Erza nodded.

"Exactly. Several people have been attacked on the outskirts of the city. Everwater City is a popular tourist destination and the Mayor is worried about these incidents affecting the city's income. They are willing to pay a very large sum of money in order to have the convicts removed." Lucy perked up at the last part.

"How much is "a large sum of money"?" She asked. "Because this sounds seriously dangerous." Lucy visually shook. "I mean these are hardened criminals we are talking about here. How are a handful of guild wizards and a couple of talking cats going to capture these guys?" Erza shook her head.

"We don't have the capture them." She said crossing her legs. We don't have the means of transporting nearly a dozen criminals across the country. The job is asking for us to remove them from the mountain and that is exactly what we are going to do. Nothing more, nothing less. Frankly, where they go after we kick them off Everwater Mountain is not our concern. The Fiore Royal Military will deal with them eventually." Erza stated. The subject changed to a discussion about how many jewels they were being paid for the job quickly lost interest. Money management was something that Carla took care of most of the time. She turned her attention away from the others and looked at Natsu again. He was mumbling something that Wendy couldn't quite make out. She smiled at him.

'It will be okay Natsu.' She thought turning her attention back to the scenery outside. 'We will be there in a couple hours and you will be back to your old self in no time.' She smiled at the thought. Wendy rested her head against the glass of the window and watched the trees go by. She found her mind wandering back to the Harvest Festival and whether or not she should ask Natsu if he wanted to go with her. After this morning, she felt more confident about asking him. She was still worried about the possibility of Natsu going with Lucy but honestly there wasn't anything she could really do to prevent that from happening. Wendy sighed and closed her eyes. Her mind continued to wander and fantasize until she finally dozed off.

* * *

"Wendy?" A quiet voice said. Wendy had been sleeping for quite a while and was just starting to wake up. "Come on child, wake up. We have nearly arrived at our stop." As Wendy returned to consciousness she recognized the voice as Carla. The white cat was standing on the bench next to her. Wendy yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"Carla?" She asked sleepily. "Are we at Everfish Mountain?" She asked without thinking. Carla groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Please…please do not repeat the tomcat's idiocy..." She sighed. "It's called EverWATER Mountain, and the answer to your question is no. We aren't there yet but we are just a few minutes away from the station. You can see our destination out your window if you wake up and take a look." Carla said looking out the window. Wendy nodded and stretched. She stood up and looked out the window.

"Woah, is that where we are going?" She asked awestruck. Carla walked away from the window so Wendy could get a better look.

"Mhm." Carla said nodding. "I'd say it's safe to say that that is Everwater Mountain." Wendy watched as the train drew closer to the mountain. The name Everwater Mountain was definitely appropriate. From her position, Wendy could see two large rivers flowing from the peak of the mountain. Not far from the peak, the two rivers split into multiple smaller rivers that, even further down the mountain, split into even more rivers. By the time they reached the base of the mountain, there were so many rivers that Wendy was having trouble counting them all. The rivers crisscrossed all over the mountain isolating small patches of earth from the rest of the slope. Wendy couldn't believe how much water she saw. She tore her eyes away from the mountain. Something seemed weird about the mountain.

"Hey Carla?" She asked. "That's an awful lot of water. Where does it all come from? Is there a big lake or something at the peak?" Carla shook her head.

"No." She said crossing her arms. "If you had bothered to stay awake during Erza's explanation, you'd know that at the peak of the mountain are two large lacrima that have been charged with water magic. The lacrima are set to absorb as much water as possible from this area's heavy rain season and then release it onto the sides of the mountain." Carla explained as the train pulled into the station. "The townspeople have obviously done this in order to drum up tourism for their town. Shameful." She said shaking her head. Wendy frowned. It was kind of a letdown to find out that the mountain and its strange river system wasn't natural. She shrugged gathered up the few things that she was responsible for. Natural or not, they came here to do a job and that was exactly what they were going to do.

The others had already gathered all of their belongings and were prepared to head for the exit as soon as the doors opened. Erza turned and looked at Wendy.

"Good morning, Wendy." She said with a sweet smile. "Would you make sure Natsu gets off the train? I'd hate for him to get left behind." Wendy looked over at the near unconscious man. Wendy guessed that Natsu didn't even know that they had arrived at the station. She had no idea how she was going to help him get off the train. Erza was obviously trying to make her uncomfortable, but she did not know how to weasel out of the task the woman had given her. Luckily, Grey interrupted.

"Nah don't worry about it Wendy." He said bending down to grab Natsu's arm. "There's no reason for you to have to carry this flame brain. Leave it to me okay?" Grey pulled Natsu up off the floor and tossed him over his shoulder like a limp rag doll. Wendy winced as Natsu's head bounced off of Grey's back and released a quiet gurgling sound.

"Thanks Grey." She said both disappointed and relived. "That's way easier than me dragging him off the train." The rest of the team followed Grey as he walked onto the platform. Grey walked onto the platform and dumped Natsu onto a bench that sat parallel to the train. As the rest of the group stepped off the train, they were met with a long pier-like walkway that stretched from the train station to the edge of the city. Wendy gasped at the beautiful sight in front of her. "This is amazing!" She shouted, her eyes sparkling. Laid out in front of her was a city that appeared to be floating on water. Everwater City was a city built right below the surface of a giant lake that had formed at the base of Everwater Mountain. Buildings and houses looked like they were bursting out of the water trying to reach the sky. In this city, roads were nonexistent. Waterways dominated the majority of the city and the people used them to get from place to place. From where they were standing, Wendy could see dozens of boats and swimmers moving through between the buildings. It truly was a city of rivers. The midday sun shone down on the crystal clear water, making it sparkle like diamonds. Wendy was so enthralled by the beautiful sight, that she did not hear the others walk up next to her. Lucy gasped.

"This city is beautiful!" She exclaimed breathlessly. "I can totally see why it has been named the number one "Most Gorgeous City in Fiore" by Sorcerers Weekly four times in a row." Lucy squealed happily. "I can't believe we are actually here!" Sorcerers Weekly was a popular magazine that followed all of the latest news from guilds across Fiore. Many young wizards read it religiously when it comes out each week. Lucy had got Wendy hooked on the magazine not long after she joined Fairy Tail four years ago. So, Wendy knew exactly what Lucy was talking about. As the girls stared at the city, Natsu was just beginning to regain consciousness.

"Ugh… Oh man I hate trains…" He groaned rolling off the bench. "I don't care how far away it is, next time we're walking." Natsu looked over at the others, who were all lined up looking at the city. "What're you all looking at?" Wendy spun around.

"Natsu!" She said, her eyes still sparkling. "Look at this place! It's so pretty!" Wendy spun back around and pointed at the city. Natsu walked up next to her.

"Holy crap this place is freaking awesome!" He laughed. "It looks like the city is swimming!" Grey groaned somewhere off to Natsu's left.

"Cities don't swim bonehead." He said shaking his head. Grey waited for a few seconds expecting an angry response from Natsu, but all her heard was the faint sound of Wendy whispering. He started to turn around. "Yo, Natsu did you hea- HEEEYY!" Grey's words turned into a started shout as he fell from the pier into the water below. Natsu stood in the spot where Grey once occupied.

"That was perfect! Good thinking Wendy!" He shouted laughing. Natsu shot her a thumbs up which she happily returned.

"Wendy!" Carla shouted. Wendy shrugged.

"Oh come on Carla." She said shrugging. Wendy started walking down the pier making her way to the city. "He's a big boy, he'll be fine." Carla's face turned red with anger. Before the cat could make a scene, Wendy motioned to the others. "Come on! I wanna see more of the city!" Natsu, Happy and Lucy cheered and followed her as the water around the pier began to freeze.

 **End Chapter 2**


	3. The Job

**When the Sky Falls for the Flame**

A/N: _Just a quick note: this chapter is longer than the previous ones. The events that take place in this chapter were originally supposed to span across chapters 3 and 4. However, after finishing the rough draft of Chapter 3, I was not particular happy with it. It was basically just the group screwing around in Everwater City. I felt like it was a waste of a chapter so I took a small portion of 3 and combined it with the vast majority of Chapter 4. I do apologize for the longer chapter. Enjoy!  
-SilverWrath_

* * *

Chapter 3 - The Job

"This has to be the most beautiful city I have ever been in!" Wendy exclaimed as the group sailed their way down one of Everwater City's water ways. The city's lack of streets or walkways of any kind created a transportation issue for the team. However, it was extremely easy to find people willing to ferry the wizards to their destination. There were easily a half a dozen small businesses right next to the pier that rented out boats for tourists and visitors. For an extra small fee, the group was able to hire a boatman to escort them through the city's endless rivers.

The original plan was to enter the city and immediately report to the Mayor's office in order to begin their job. Unfortunately, when the team arrived at the Mayor's office, they discovered that the man had stepped out and was not expected to return until the next day. Much to Erza's displeasure, the team would be stonewalled until they found the Mayor. Seeing an opportunity to experience this majestic city, Wendy begged Erza to let her rent another boat, and explore the city on her own. A couple other members of the team quickly jumped on board with Wendy's plan. After begging the older woman for what seemed like hours, Wendy finally convinced Erza to let her, Natsu, Grey, Carla and Happy explore the city while Erza and Lucy tracked down the Mayor. She was more than happy to let Erza do the leg work while she hung out with Natsu and the others.

Wendy stood on the bow of the boat they had rented as it gracefully cut its way through the crystal clear water. Wendy looked down at the water beneath the boat. The water was clear enough that she was able to see dozens of different species of fish swimming under the surface of the city. In all her years of traveling across Fiore, she had never experienced anything like this. There was only one small problem. As she leaned over the side of the boat, Wendy was suddenly struck with a wave of nausea. She lost her grip on the side of the boat and started to fall into the water. Grey quickly leaned forward and grabbed the back of her shirt.

"Easy there kid." He said chuckling. Grey pulled Wendy back into the boat and sat her on the bench across from him. "That's the third time you have almost fallen off the boat since this we got here." He leaned back against his seat and looked across the sparkling water ahead of them. "I'm starting to think you want to fall in." Carla shook her head in annoyance.

"You need to be more careful." She scolded. "Erza has all of the luggage we brought. If you fall in the water you're going to end up soaking wet for hours and you will wind up sicker than a dog." It was times like this that Carla could easily be mistaken for Wendy's mother.

"I know… I'm sorry." She said. Wendy sat on the bench and watched other boats pass them while waiting for her stomach to settle down. Once the sickening feeling in her stomach dissipated, she was right back up hanging off the side of the boat. Grey sighed and waited for her to lose her balance again. Unfortunately for the Dragon Slayers of the group, this boat was the only realistic mode of transportation they had while in the city. However, Wendy did not mind at all. She was having so much fun that a little motion sickness wasn't going to stop her. She stepped back from the side of the boat and turned to check on Natsu. "So Natsu," She asked smiling at him. "How are you doing?

"Perfect!" He exclaimed happily. "Never felt better in my life!" Natsu had found his own solution to the restricted means of transportation. Happy, despite being a cat, was also a wizard. Both he and Carla were able to sprout wings from their back and could use them to fly. Natsu was using Happy to fly him around the city with the others. This way, he still got to see the city, without the threat of motion sickness. Sadly, Happy's physical strength was lacking so carrying Natsu for extended periods of time quickly wore him out. "Man flying with Happy is so much better than riding in that stupid boat. You doing okay back there little buddy?" He asked Happy.

Aye sir!" Happy responded instantly. Despite the way Happy was acting, Wendy could tell that the small, blue cat was already worn out. Suddenly, Happy's nose started to twitch.

"Natsu!" Happy said. "You smell that?" Natsu sniffed the air.

"Oh yeah I do!" He shouted. He sniffed the air again and pointed towards another water way off to their right. "Food! That way! Let's go!" Happy sped forward, following Natsu's nose towards the delicious smell. Wendy turned and watched them speed away.

"Natsu!" She called. "Wait, where are you going?" Unfortunately, he had already turned a corner and disappeared. Wendy immediately felt a bit sadder without him flying around. She found herself wishing that he had taken her with him. After thinking for a moment, Wendy looked at Carla. She could take her own flying cat and join Natsu. It wouldn't take her long to find him. Her nose was almost as keen as Natsu's. Carla cleared her throat.

"No." She said as if reading her companions mind.

"Awwww..…" Wendy pouted. She sat down and watched in the direction Natsu had flown, waiting for him to return. After a few minutes of watching her, Grey looked at Carla.

"Hey Carla?" He asked, motioning for her to come closer. The small white cat walked over to him.

"Yes?" She asked. Grey motioned to Wendy, who was lost in her own little world.

"Have you noticed Wendy acting a bit weird lately?" He asked quietly. Especially when Natsu isn't around?" Carla looked at her young friend.

"I have noticed changes in her demeanor when the fire rat leaves." She said. "I have always attributed it to how close they are. After all, Natsu is the one who saved the two of us years ago. And ever since, he has played the role of her protector and one of her best friends." Carla shrugged. "I don't see anything wrong with that, do you?" Grey leaned back and dipped his hand into the water next to their boat.

"I dunno." He said lost in thought. "You think maybe there's more to it than that?" Carla snorted.

"If you have time to go around judging the feelings of a young woman, maybe you should use that time to focus on your own relationship!" The sassy cat snapped. Grey choked and his cheeks turned red.

"Hey! M-my relationship is fine." He snapped back. His cheeks returned to their natural color. "Besides, that has nothing to do with this." He motioned towards Wendy who suddenly jumped up and pointed behind the boat.

"Natsu's back!" She squealed happily. Natsu and Happy came flying out of another water way and rocketed towards the boat. The pair flew up next to the boat and stopped. Natsu was holding three paper bags in this hands. Wendy immediately noticed Happy was really struggling to keep Natsu in the air.

"Yo guys." He said "Check it out! I have cookies!" Natsu held out one of the bags to Wendy. "Here Wendy, I thought you would like these." He said smiling. Wendy blushed and took the bag from him.

"T-Thank you Natsu." She stammered. Before Natsu could respond, the wizards heard a familiar blonde voice calling to them. They looked up ahead of them and saw Lucy and Erza waving at them.

"Hey you guys!" Lucy shouted. The boat they were in moved over so it was directly alongside the first. Lucy waited until her boat was right next to theirs before she changed boats. She pointed over her shoulder as Erza exited the second boat. "Guess what you guys? We found the Mayor." Lucy said smiling. "Well, sort of… Apparently, the old man has been at Everwater Mountain all day." She shrugged. "No one's exactly sure why though." Grey stood up and stretched.

"He's probably waiting for us." He said. Natsu howled.

"Alright! We better not keep the old guy waiting!" He struck a stupidly heroic pose pointing forward as the last of Happy's strength began to seep away. "Let's go find some bad guys to beat down!" Natsu said with an evil grin. Happy groaned.

"Hey Natsu? He squeaked quietly. "I'm really sorry…" Natsu looked over his shoulder in confusion.

"Sorry? What're you sorry for?" He asked. Happy grunted and sighed.

"This." Happy's wings finally gave out and Wendy laughed hysterically as the two fell into the water below them.

* * *

It was midafternoon by the time their boat finally came to a stop at the shore line at the base of Everwater Mountain. The recently soaked Happy and Natsu wasted no time heading for the shore.

"Oh yeah! Solid ground! Thanks for the help little buddy." He said to Happy as his feet hit the ground. After a short rest, Happy was able to fly Natsu the rest of the way to the mountain without too much difficulty. Natsu smiled as flames engulfed his hands. "Time too kick some bad guy butt! EVERYONE FOLLOW ME!" Natsu ordered as he bolted forward without a second thought. Trails of flames followed behind the young Dragon Slayer as he ran. Wendy giggled.

"There he goes." She said shrugging. "Shouldn't we follow him?" Wendy looked to Erza. She nodded.

"Yeah, we better. Wendy, go with Happy and Carla. Make sure he doesn't hurt himself." She motioned towards the trails of flame. "And stop him from doing that. The last thing we need is that hot head burning the forest down. The rest of us will hang back and try to find the Mayor." She ordered. Happy suddenly appeared directly in front of Erza's face, startling the woman.

"Aye Sir!" He exclaimed as he flew in Natsu's direction. "Wait for me buddy! I'm coming with you!" Carla, summoned her wings and flew after him.

"Stop you moron!" She called after Happy. "You're already exhausted! You're going to get yourself lost!" Wendy heard Erza sigh heavily behind her. She turned to see the woman pinching the bridge of her nose. Wendy smiled at her.

"Don't worry Erza." She said sweetly. "I'll make sure nothing happens." Wendy walked backwards as she spoke. She turned and started to run. "Leave everything to m-" Wendy's words were cut off as she slammed into someone. She bounced backwards and landed on the ground at Erza's feet. She looked up to see the older woman staring down at her with a disappointed expression. Wendy gave her the sweetest smile she could muster. "H-Hi Erza…" She said weakly. The woman said nothing and just pointed directly ahead, never breaking eye contact. "Y-yes ma'am! I'm going! Please don't hurt me!" Wendy desperately scrambled to her feet and ran off to find Natsu. As the young girl disappeared into the forest, the man she ran into stood up.

"Ha. Such youthful energy. What I wouldn't give to have a little bit of that." He said smiling. The short, bearded man turned his attention to the others. "Ah and you must be the Wizards from Fairy Tail." He said. Erza stepped forward and answered the man.

"Yes. We are here to deal with your convict problem." She said getting straight to the point. She began to apologize for Wendy's clumsiness, but the man waved her off. "I take it that you are the Mayor of this fine city." Erza asked. He nodded in response.

"Indeed I am." The Mayor said stroking his beard. "I am glad you have arrived. I was beginning to worry that you might have gotten lost in my city." A sly smile stretched across his face. "No matter. It is time for you to do what you came here to do." He motioned to the forest behind him. "This is, obviously, Everwater Mountain. And we have a bit of an infestation problem." Erza nodded.

"Yes, that is what the request stated." She walked past the mayor and began inspecting the mountain and the vast forest that surrounded it. "Our information states that there are approximately ten convicts on this mountain. Is that correct?" The mayor closed his eyes.

"Your information is not correct." He said. Erza turned to him with a confused look on her face. "Your information is wrong." He repeated unnecessarily. Lucy stepped forward.

"Excuse me, but I thought that there were only ten convicts were still loose from the prison break." She said with a worried tone. The Mayor nodded.

"That is correct. Only ten." He said plainly. Grey scratched his head.

"So there are ten guys on the mountain that we have to hunt down right?" He asked. The mayor shook his head.

"No." He said. Grey sighed. His head was already starting to hurt.

"Okay, but there are only ten convicts unaccounted for and we are here to hunt them down, right?" Grey asked with a quickly worsening headache.

"Correct." The mayor replied.

"Then we have ten guys to get rid of right?" Grey asked.

"No." The Mayor replied. Grey felt his eye twitch.

"Ugh… This is getting us nowhere." He mumbled. "Let me put it this way: How many people are we dealing with?" He asked slowly. The old man nodded.

"Why, all of the criminals on the mountain of course." He said nonchalantly. Grey felt something snap in his head.

"WHAT THE HELL YOU DAMN GEEZER!?" He shouted angrily. "Stop screwing around! EXACTLY how many people are we dealing with?!" The mayor scratched his head.

"Ohhhh…" He counted on his fingers for a few seconds. "Around…230 or so?" He said shrugging. Grey, Lucy and Erza flinched.

"WHAT?!" The three of them shouted. The mayor nodded.

"Yep. There are easily over 200 criminals on Everwater Mountain. Most of them have been there for years." He looked into the sky and smiled. "I even have tea and cookies with a bunch of them on Thursdays. Sadly a great many of these men have teamed up with the escaped convicts. They have practically formed an army." The wizards stood in stunned silence. The mayor continued. "Oh yes, they told me that themselves. I have known some of them since they were lads in the city. Don't hurt those ones. I like those ones. Just get rid of the ones I don't like." He said walking towards the bay. The mayor stopped and turned to look at them. "You all look capable, so I'm sure you won't have any trouble dealing with those hooligans, but there is a far more serious danger on my mountain. Those men are nothing compared to the true danger of Everwater Mountain." Erza snapped herself back to reality.

"The true danger sir?" She asked. He nodded.

"Oh yes. Before you step foot on this mountain, you must burn this statement into your memory: Do NOT fall into the rivers flowing down Everwater Mountain." He warned. Erza looked confused.

"Falling into a river doesn't seem so dangerous sir, is there a particular reason for that warning?" She asked. The mayor nodded.

"It doesn't seem like that big of deal, but I assure you, it is. Allow me to explain." He pointed to the top of the mountain. "The water flowing down from the peak is moving incredibly fast." The Mayor emphasized the word incredibly. "If you fall into the water, it WILL drag you with it. Once you are at the mercy of those magical waters, there's no telling where on Everwater Mountain you will end up. The mountain is vast and covered in dense forests. If you get swept away by the current, it could take days, if not weeks, for someone to find you. That's assuming the river doesn't decide to take your life." He said ominously. Lucy shivered.

"Okay," She said. "I have a really bad feeling about this you guys. Let's catch up to Natsu and get the heck outta here." Erza shook her head.

"Not until we finish our job." She stated. Erza looked back at the Mayor. "We appreciate your warning kind sir." Erza bowed. "We will take every precaution necessary to ensure our safety as well as that of your citizens." The old man smiled.

"Just what I wanted to hear. Good luck Fairy Tail!" He said as he jumped in their boat and ordered the boatman to return to the city. "By the way: Thanks for the boat! I have been stuck out here for hours with no way back. I was starting to get hungry." He laughed. Grey groaned and ran to the water's edge.

"HEY! Get back here! That wasn't for you, you crazy old jerk!" He shouted as the mayor sailed away from the mountain. "Man, that guy pisses me off." Grey sighed. "Great… Now how do we get back?" He asked. Erza began walking towards the forest.

"We will deal with that later." She said as she walked to the edge of the forest. The sound of an explosion echoed through the forest in front of them. "For now, we can't let him have all the fun." She said as she requipped a sword into her hand. "Let's go!" The others cheered and followed her into the dense forest.

* * *

Over two Hours later, Erza's patience was at its end.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY?!" She screamed as she cut another tree in half and kicked the pieces away. Since the team entered the forest in pursuit of Wendy, Natsu, and the cats, no contact with their team members had been made. Every so often, they would heard an explosion or feel a powerful gust of wind, but they were unable to find the source of the attacks. "NATSU! HAPPY! WHERE THE HELL DID YOU MORONS GO!?" Erza shouted into the forest. There was no response. The only sign that Natsu and the others were still in the forest was the occasional group of unconscious men. "I knew we shouldn't have let them go in alone." She mumbled as she ran onto another path. "WENDY, CARLA, ANSWER M- WOAH!" She came to a screeching halt as the path she was running on suddenly ended in a steep drop off. Erza cautious looked at the cliff in front of her. It was in fact a very wide ravine. She kneeled down and looked down over the cliff. One of the rivers flowing down the mountain had cut a deep, very wide scar into the earth. The river at the bottom of the ravine was moving at a terrifyingly fast rate. She had come across several rivers since she began her search for the others, but this one was by far the most powerful. Erza could feel the overwhelming power of the rushing water as clearly as she could see it. The Mayor's warning about falling into the rivers crept into her mind and she shivered. "I hope Wendy and the others didn't fall into one of these." She tried to follow the ravine with her eyes. Not ten yards down from where she was standing, the river split into three more rivers. These rivers were even more powerful than the original. Each one of the rivers cut its own unique path deep into the earth. "I understand the old man's warning." She said aloud. Erza stood back up and whispered. "Natsu, Wendy, please be safe…" At that moment, Erza heard people coming down the path behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw Grey and Lucy. They stumbled down the path trying to reach Erza.

"H…Holy crap… Erza," Grey panted as they finally caught up with her. "Would…you give it a rest already?" He gasped as he leaned against a tree. Lucy caught up a few seconds later and collapsed in a heap on the ground a few feet away. They were exhausted. The two of them had been running to keep up with their friend for nearly two hours without a break. How Erza was not about to collapse from exhaustion was beyond comprehension. Grey took a few breaths and slowed his breathing. "We won't find them at this rate." He said after a few minutes. Erza turned to look at him.

"Very well." She said impatiently. "How do you suggest we catch up to them?" Erza demanded. Grey shrugged.

"I don't know." He admitted. Grey motioned to Lucy who had drug herself over to a tree and was leaning against it. "But this, this isn't working. Natsu is too random. If we keep trying to chase that pyro we will never find him." Grey sat down on the ground. "The best thing we can do is figure out a way to bring him to us." Erza nodded as she contemplated Grey's words. She had to admit, her current strategy was not working. She closed her eyes and began thinking. Grey presented a valid point. Natsu's unpredictable nature made him incredibly difficult to track. Perhaps it was time for a change in strategy. After a few moments, another voice broke the silence.

"Okay, sounds like a plan. Just one question: who are we after?" Natsu asked. Both Erza and Grey choked in response. Natsu sat next to Grey on the ground, resting his chin in his hand. "I hope he's tough, because everyone I have had to beat up so far today has been a real push over." He complained. No one responded. Wendy appeared and sat down next to Natsu. The two of them were dirty and had clearly been fighting for a long time.

"Umm… Natsu, I think you scared them." She said leaning over to look at Grey. His eyes were locked on Natsu shooting him a glare that could shatter armor. "Maybe we shouldn't have snuck up on them." Natsu laughed.

"Well if they had actually kept up with us then maybe I wouldn't have had scare them. Not my fault they have been sitting on their butts letting us have all the fun." He shrugged. Wendy agreed smiling. "But seriously, what have you guys been doing?" Natsu asked turning his attention back to Grey and Erza. "And where's Lucy?" He asked looking around. Lucy lets out a weak cry from her spot a few yards away. "Ah, there she is. Hey Lucy!" Lucy gave him a weak wave in response. Natsu smiled. He looked back at Grey and Erza. "Dang you guys look tired. Maybe you have been doing something huh?" Erza felt her eye twitch. She slowly stood up. She was going to murder him.

"No." She said quietly to herself. "You know what? It's not worth it." Erza took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She pointed at Natsu. "You. I'm going to tear you apart when we get back to the Guild." Natsu looked at her with a genuinely confused look on his face. Wendy shook her head.

"Please don't do that." She said quietly. Erza ignored her.

"At any rate Natsu, have you completed our job?" She asked. "Have you found the convicts?" Nastu tilted his head.

"How the heck should I know?" He asked. "I have just been beating up everyone I find. I didn't stop to ask them if they had recently broken out of jail." Erza felt the last of her nerves starting to strain. She decided that just a few punches would make her feel better.

"Natsu…" She growled as she reached for his throat. Erza was about to leap forward when a scream snapped her out of her blood rage.

"GET OFF ME!" Lucy screamed. Wendy spun around to see Lucy being pinned to the ground by and extremely large man. In one hand, the man held Lucy's head and in the other, he held a large rusted hook that appeared to be connected to a long chain. The mysterious man smiled at the wizards standing in the clearing. He had to be one of the escaped convicts. The man whistled and several other men materialized from the forest. Wendy stepped behind Natsu. The man pointed his hook at Natsu.

"Ya sure waz hard to find pink 'ead." He said lifting Lucy up off the ground. Wendy's eyes widened in fear as she got a good look at how big this man truly was. Lucy, a full grown woman, looked like a child in comparison. This man was huge. The most intimidating part of the man was his hook. The hook was easily the size of a medium sized dog. The man put his hook around Lucy's throat. "Me boyz and me ave been followin' ya fer hours. We knewz ya'd stop sooner er later." Wendy head a noise off to her left. She spun around and saw even more men walking out of the forest. A cold realization fell over Wendy as she looked in the opposite direction.

"They were following us…" She whispered in fear. She was right. The young wizards had foolishly dropped their guard and these men had taken advantage of that lapse in focus. More and more men appeared in the forest around the wizards. Within a few seconds, the wizards were completely surrounded. Wendy heard Erza curse to her right.

"Damn. I let them sneak up on us." She said. "That was stupid of me. How could I have let them get this close?" The man let out a laugh so deep that Wendy thought she felt the ground shake.

"Ya let uz sneak up on youz?!" The man exclaimed grabbing Lucy by her hair and pressing her neck against the blade. Wendy caught the distinct smell of blood on the air a few seconds later. Lucy let out a pained yelp. "Nahhhh. Wez been huntin youz. Y'all becamed our prey soon as youz stepped foots in me woods." The man laughed again. Wendy was paralyzed in fear. The wizards were completely surrounded by a wall of muscular men armed with various weapons. This wouldn't be an easy fight. To make matters worse, they had a hostage. Wendy knew her team was already in a bad situation. She hoped one of the others had a plan for getting them out of this. Suddenly, Wendy felt the air near her raising in temperature. The air became so hot that Wendy was worried that it would burn her. She realized the source of the heat was the Dragon Slayer in front of her. Natsu stepped forward leaving Wendy behind.

"Wendy, stay here." He said quietly as he walked to the front of the group. "Yo, big guy." Natsu said as a fireball engulfed his hands. "Let her go. Now!" He demanded. The man looked at Natsu and laughed.

"Whatz all dis den?" "He leaned forward to get a good look at Natsu. "Dis short shit thinkz he can orderz us around like wez babiez or sumthin?" He asked. He dragged Lucy backwards by her hair forcing her to let out another pained scream. "Whatchu gonna do runt?! Youz ain't no match fer-" Suddenly, Natsu leapt towards the man. He pulled his fist back and shot it forward like a bullet directly into the middle of the man's face. Flames jumped from Natsu's hand and engulfed the man. The man howled in pain and released Lucy from his grip, desperately swinging his hook randomly at anything he could reach. Natsu quickly scooped Lucy up and jumped back to the others.

"You okay Lucy?" He asked softly as he set her down behind Erza and Grey. Wendy kneeled down next to Lucy and took a look at her neck. It was a small cut, but Wendy used her magic to heal it just in case. Lucy waited for Wendy to finish and then nodded. Natsu smiled. "Good to hear." He stood up and turned to face their attackers. All of whom were smiling at the wizards as if completely unphased by the attack on their leader. "Happy! Carla!" Natsu called. As if by magic, the two cats both appeared at Natsu's side.

"Aye!" Happy answered. Carla nodded.

"What do you need us to do?" She asked. Natsu motioned to Lucy and Wendy without looking at them.

"Get them somewhere safe." He ordered. "This is going to get real ugly real fast." Natsu had an extremely serious look on his face, more serious that Wendy had even seen on him before. Grey nodded.

"Yeah. It will be a lot easier to deal with these morons without having to worry about protecting them." He said without turning around. Happy and Carla agreed. Happy tried to grab Lucy and Carla tried to grab Wendy. Both women shook the cats off.

"No way!" Lucy shouted. "We aren't going to run away and leave you guys here to fight!" She opened her holster where she kept her Gate Keys. Wendy stepped forward so she was next to Natsu.

"Yeah!" She agreed. "Natsu! I have been fighting by your side all day! I'm not helpless. Let me stay!" Wendy shouted. "I can-" Natsu cut her off.

"That's enough! You both need to leave. Right now." He snapped coldly, never taking his eyes off the men around them. Wendy stepped back. Natsu had never snapped at her like that before. "This place is not safe. Please just get out of here." He pleaded. Erza immediately knew what he meant.

"Lucy, Wendy. Don't argue." She ordered. "Go with Happy and Carla. Leave this to us." Erza requipped into her Black Wing Armor. Wendy looked confused.

"Why?!" She demanded. The leader of the attackers started to get up. "Why can't I stay and fight with you guys?!" Wendy was angry. She wasn't a child anymore. Why were they treating her like one? Her answer came in the form of snickering from the men around her.

"Ohhh, she's a feisty one." One of the men said.

"Forget her," Another one said. "Look at the rack on the blonde one! I want her." Wendy felt her blood run cold.

"Red there is sexy as hell. I'm claiming her first." A third moaned.

"You can have her." A forth said. "I'm gonna be all over the one with blue hair!" Wendy stepped back as felt fear rising. Carla didn't was another second. She scooped Wendy up off the ground and flew her to the other side of the ravine.

"Move Tomcat!" She shouted. "These monsters are vile!" Happy agreed and grabbed Lucy and followed Carla. The cats took them across the ravine and set the girls down. Grey sighed.

"Alright. That's better." He sighed. "These guys are sick." Natsu nodded.

"Yeah… Hey, Erza?" He said looking at the woman out of the corner of his eye. "You're a target here too. Did you want to go with them?" He asked already knowing the answer. Erza snorted.

"I will not run from any foe!" She said pointing her sword at them. "I don't care what vile places their minds wander to." Erza cut through the air in front of her with her sword. "These monsters will pay for looking at our friends with such despicable intentions!" Natsu and Grey smiled.

"Right." They both said as they took up positions flanking their unofficial leader. Natsu cracked his knuckles.

"Yo, Streaker? I bet I take down twice as many as you." Grey laughed.

"In your dreams Fire Breather. Let me show you how a real wizard fights!" He responded as the army of men threw themselves at the three wizards.

* * *

Wendy and Lucy stood on the side of the ravine opposite their friends. The pair watched as their attackers hurled themselves at the three wizards. Erza, Natsu and Grey easily deflected all of the men's initial attacks and quickly launched their counter attack. Wendy looked at Lucy. The older woman was sitting on the ground. Wendy could tell just from looking at her that she was exhausted.

"Are you sure that they'll be okay over there?" Wendy asked watching Natsu tear through the wall of men. Lucy nodded.

"They'll be fine." She said. "Don't forget. They are three of Fairy Tail's finest S-class wizards." She said. Wendy frowned. The title of S-class Wizard was only granted to those whom Master Makarov deemed to be the best of the best. Wendy had always dreamed of becoming an elite S-class wizard. The Master told her that she would be allowed to take the exam to possibly become an S-class wizard this year. If she worked hard, she could join Natsu as an equal. That thought made her smile. Lucy was right. Those three were strong. They would be fine. She wished she could help them, but they were looking out for her and Lucy's safety and Wendy understood that. It still irked her that she was forced to watch rather than help fight.

Wendy was so lost in her own thoughts that she did not hear the sounds of footsteps coming up behind her.

* * *

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"** Natsu shouted as he released a large amount of fire from his mouth. Nearly a dozen men were thrown back by the force of his attack. They screamed and desperately tried to extinguish the flames that covered them.

 **"ICE MAKE: GEYSER!"** Grey shouted as the ground in front of him froze. A second later, a pillar of spikey ice erupted from the frozen ground. Several of the attackers were dragged into the air as the pillar reached for the sky. With a swipe of his hand, Grey forced the pillar to explode, send large shards of ice out in all directions. "HA!" He shouted at Natsu. "That's another fourteen for me!" Natsu laughed.

"Yeah? Well, watch this!" Natsu ran forward and jumped into the air. "Here we go! " **FIRE DRAGON'S BRILLIANT FLAME!"** Natsu shouted as he formed a large fireball and hurled it at the ground. Upon hitting the ground, the fireball exploded, sending waves of flames out in all directions. Men all around the blast zone were consumed by the flames. "Come on!" He shouted as he used his fire to propel himself back down to the ground. He landed in the middle of a large group of the attackers. "This is too easy!" Natsu lashed out, hitting everyone within striking range. "Put up more of a fight!" One of the attackers swung a sword at the Dragon Slayers head, but he easily dodged it. Natsu responded to the attack with a flaming kick to the man's face. The man flew backwards, slamming into several of his comrades. As the man struggled to get up, he was suddenly struck but a mysterious force that sent him flying into the sky. In the spot where the man once stood, a red haired woman in sleek black armor with a sword pointed to the sky appeared.

"I agree, Natsu." Erza said as she leapt at several more attackers. Swinging her sword in graceful arcs, she sent the men flying back into the air. "I was expecting more a challenge from hardened criminals." She jumped into the air and landed next to Natsu and Grey, who had returned to their original positions. The majority of the criminals laid on the ground groaning in pain. The trio of wizards barely had a scratch on them. Only one man remained standing: the leader. The large man kneeled near the entrance to the clearing, holding his burned face. He pointed his hook at Natsu

"Ya bastards er gonna pay fer dis." He said as he spit on the ground. "If ya be thinkin' we lost, ya be in for world of hurtin'!" He shouted. Natsu cocked his head off to the side.

"You know, I haven't understood a single word this guy has said." He shrugged. "Could someone tell me what he's saying?" An evil grin crossed Natsu's face. "Better yet, tell he'd better be hungry. Cause he's about to eat my fist again." As he spoke, flames engulfed Natsu's hand. The man took a step back as Natsu started walking towards him. Natsu was just about to spring forward when a scream froze him in his tracks. He turned his head to see what was going on.

On the other side of the ravine, Lucy, Happy and Carla all lay on the ground surrounded by even more attackers. Wendy was the only one still on her feet, and she was desperately trying to protect her friends. Wendy jumped and glided through the air like an angel, battering her opponents with bursts of wind and flurries of kicks. During her four years in Fairy Tail, Wendy had learned multiple fighting styles from the older wizards in the guild. Despite her timid nature, the girl was a force to be reckoned with. The problem was that she was fighting a losing battle. Natsu recognized the scream as coming from Lucy. She laid face down on the ground with another large man standing over top of her. The man had his foot pressed down on her back and was crushing her into the ground. In the large man's hand, rested Lucy's holster of Gate Keys. Wendy was trying desperately to reach Lucy, but dozens of attackers prevented her from making any progress. The man behind Natsu laughed.

"Well, well. Lookz like me boyz got me somes pretty new play toyz." He let out a disgusting laughed that made Natsu sick. He had to help Wendy and Lucy. The large man appeared directly behind Natsu. "But first, I'll squish youz!" The man roared as he swung his hook in a downward arc towards Natsu's distracted head. Before Natsu had a chance to react, he heard the distinct sound of metal clashing with metal. Erza appeared behind him, holding the man's hook at bay with her sword.

"Go help her!" Erza shouted as sparks jumped from the clashing blades. "Grey and I can handle the rest of these guys! Hurry!" She shouted as she struggled to hold the large man at bay. Clearly this man was far stronger than any of his subordinates. Natsu nodded and started running towards the ravine. He looked at Grey, who had been attacked by enemy reinforcements. Despite their superior numbers, they were no match for the ice wizard. Natsu knew that he would make quick work of them.

"Hey, Icy! I need a bridge!" He called to Grey. Gray nodded and jumped backwards, putting some space between him and his attackers. He landed on the edge of the ravine. Grey placed his hand on the edge of the chasm and formed a long bridge made of ice.

"Go! I'll put up a wall to keep these clowns off your back!" Natsu nodded and started running across the bridge. A few seconds after he started to cross, he heard the sound of an ice wall being formed behind him from behind him. He ignored it and charged full speed across the chasm. As he neared the other side, he called to Wendy.

"Wendy!" He shouted "Let's blow these fools away!" Wendy nodded and disengaged from the men that were attacking her. She jumped back so she was in the air above Natsu. She sucked in a large mouthful of air.

" **SKY DRAGON'S…"** Wendy yelled.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S…"** Natsu shouted.

 **"ROAR!"** The pair roared in unison, perfectly syncing up their attacks. Flames and violent winds tore through the enemy ranks, sending men flying in all directions. The man who was crushing Lucy was knocked off balance.

"I got him!" Wendy shouted as she ran towards the teetering man. **SKY DRAGON'S CRUSHING FANG!"** Wendy roared as she used her winds to slash at the man. The force of her attack sent the man spiraling into a tree. Wendy stopped and looked around. All of the men on their side of the ravine were out cold. She breathed a sigh of relief. As she looked around she felt a hand on her head. She turned and saw Natsu standing next to her.

"Nice job Wendy." Natsu said proudly, scratching the top of her head. Wendy was not sure why, but she found his scratching to be extremely satisfying. Wendy felt her cheeks blazing with so much heat she was worried that her face was going to catch on fire. She felt a large smile spreading across her face. "You were all alone over here and you held them off like they were nothing." As he finished his sentence the pair could hear the large man on the other side of the river shouting.

"Ya little bastardz ain't be getting away dat easy!" He shouted. Natsu ignore him and turned his back to the man to look back at Wendy. She smiled.

"Shall we finish this?" She asked him, giving him her sweetest smile. Wendy held out her hand to him. Natsu nodded and accepted it. As the two clasped their hands, there was the distinct sound of ice shattering somewhere behind Natsu.

"Heck yeah let's g-" Natsu suddenly let out a low grunt. His eyes widened in confusion and pain as Wendy looked at him.

"Natsu what's wrong?" She asked she looked down and saw a large piece of curved metal sticking out of Natsu's side. His blood trickled down the curve of the object. She immediately recognized it as the hook the convict's leader had been carrying. "NATSU!" She screamed in terror. Wendy instinctively grabbed the hand Natsu had given her with both of her hands. "I-I-I-It's okay!" She shouted as she felt tears starting to run down her face. "I can heal you! I'll take care of it!" She said squeezing his hand. Natsu let out a quiet chuckle.

"W-Wendy…What did I tell you earlier?" She gave him a confused look in return. "I told you not to cry. I hate seeing you cry." He said smiling. Wendy felt her heart melting but did not have a chance to respond. Suddenly Natsu cried out in pain as he was jerked backwards in the direction the hook came from. Wendy grabbed ahold of his arm and refused to let go. She flew with him as the large man drug both Natsu and Wendy across the ravine with one mighty pull. As they reached the other side of the ravine, Wendy saw the remains of Grey's ice wall. The hook had been forcefully thrown through the ice wall, shattering a small portion of it. Now they were heading right for it. Wendy closed her eye and braced herself as Natsu slammed into the ice wall with enough force to crack the thick ice. Wendy slammed into the ice a second later. The impact knocked the air from her lungs and forced her to let go of Natsu's arm. Wendy watched as the hook dislodged itself from Natsu's side and retracted through the ice wall, leaving Wendy and Natsu hanging over top of the ravine. She gasped in horror as the two of them fell off the ice wall and plunged towards the river. As they fell, Wendy lunged in an attempt to grab Natsu's arm again. She had to reach him. She couldn't lose him now. Wendy's screams echoed through the forest as her and Natsu were swallowed by the dark, rushing water.

End Chapter 3


	4. Isolation

**When the Sky falls for the Flame**

 **Chapter 4: Isolation**

* * *

Dark, icy water enveloped Wendy as she slammed into the river. She felt the air pulled from her lungs as she sank beneath its surface. The freezing water quickly drained her strength. Within seconds, Wendy felt like her body had been frozen. No matter how hard she willed her body to move, it was as if her limbs simply did not work anymore. Before she had a chance to get her body back under control, she realized that she was begin carried down river by its incredibly powerful current. Wendy felt as helpless as driftwood as she desperately fought to reach the surface.

'Air! I need air!' She screamed in her head. Slowly, her body began to respond. 'Come on! Please work!' She begged. Wendy sighed in relief as her body came under her control once again. She opened her eyes and tried to look around. The sun had nearly set and darkness was taking over the river. Wendy was surrounded by nothing but black water on all sides. She could not tell which way the surface was let alone how far away it was. The current was so powerful that any attempt to move in any direction was futile. She was completely at the mercy of the river and she knew it. Suddenly, Wendy felt her foot dragging along something.

'What is that?' She thought as she tried to look down at her foot. 'I can't see anything… It's too dark down here.' Wendy felt the current pulling her away from whatever she was touching. 'No!' She exclaimed. 'I'm not sure what it is, but it's the only shot I have!' Wendy forced both of her legs down onto the solid mass. Using all of her strength, she pushed herself off of whatever she had hit praying that she could push herself to the surface. Seconds later, Wendy burst through the surface of the water. She took in a deep breath of fresh air. "Yes!" She shouted as she coughed up a mouthful of water. It felt good to be able to breath.

Wendy's small victory was short lived. As she struggled to keep her head above the water, she felt herself crash into another solid mass. This time, the mass was not moving. Wendy gasped as pain radiated along her back. She tasted blood. Wendy turned head to turn to see what she has hit. A large, jagged rock stuck out of the river like a beacon. Looking down river, Wendy could make out other large rocks jetting out of the water. This whole section of river was a death trap. Wendy cried out in pain again as she felt her body slowly being crushed between the current and the rock. Fighting against the water, Wendy forced her body off of the rock. Using all of the strength she could muster she threw herself to the side, hoping to clear the rock. Wendy felt a small flicker of relief as she felt herself being dragged along by the current again. Once again, her victory was short lived.

Pain shot up her leg as her left shin collided with another large rock. Less than a second later, another rock being carried by the current slammed into her, crushing her leg between the two rocks. Wendy felt the bone in her leg snap. Wendy screamed in pain as the current violently pulled her away from the rock, dragging her broken leg across its rough surface. Seconds later, she collided with another rock. The current began crushing her against the rock again. Her pain was so intense that she feared she would lose consciousness.

'I can't take much more of this…' She thought as her vision started to get blurry. Wendy knew if she experienced enough pain in a short period of time, she would lose consciousness. If she passed out now, the river would claim her life. Wendy tried to peel herself off the rock again, but the excruciating pain in her leg prevented her from getting the leverage she needed. She did not know what else to do. It was getting harder and harder for her to keep her eyes open. Wendy felt herself slipping out consciousness. 'I can't do this… I'm not going to make it…' She thought as her head began to dip beneath the surface. She cried out as a piece of something hard crashed into her head. Wendy felt it break into a few pieces before being washed away by the current. "I can't die here… Please, Natsu…help me…" She said to no one as her head disappeared beneath the water's surface.

A response came in the form of a pair of hands pulling her head back above the water.

"WENDY!" A pained voice cried out. The voice sounded so familiar and Wendy felt a tinge of happiness upon hearing it. "WENDY! CAN YOU HEAR ME?! COME ON, STAY WITH ME!" The voice shouted desperately. Wendy tried to open her eyes, but she was so exhausted from fighting the river that she just could not do it. The sounds around her began to get fuzzy. Even the voice was starting to get harder to hear. "WENDY! LISTEN TO ME!" The voice shouted over the roar of the river. "IF YOU CAN, HANG ONTO ME. I'M GOING TO PROTECT YOU."

'What does that mean?' She thought. Wendy felt something warm embrace her. She felt someone pick her up and cradle her in their arms. Their body heat was comforting compared to the icy water she was neck deep in. Again, Wendy tried to force her eyes open but it was useless. The person pulled Wendy close to their chest and wrapped their arm around her head. A familiar scent flowed into her nose. "N…Natsu?" She croaked. Unfortunately, her voice was swallowed by the roar of the water. 'You really came… to… save…me…' Finally, the world around her went silent.

"ALRIGHT! HERE WE GO!" Natsu shouted as he pushed off the rock with all of his might. Cradling the unconscious Wendy in his arms, he pushed back into the current trying to avoid any rocks they might come across. Unfortunately, it was a futile effort. Almost instantly, Natsu felt himself start smashing into debris floating in the river. "Dammit!" He groaned as his shoulder collided with a rock. The impact dislocated his shoulder. Fighting through the pain, Natsu twisted his body so that he would be between Wendy and anything they might slam into. Rock after rock smashed into Natsu as he struggled to protect this young friend from the horrendous onslaught. "Wendy…" He whispered as his elbow crashed into another rock. Natsu could feel his bone crack. He gritted his teeth and pulled the blue haired Dragon Slayer closer to his chest. "Please be alright…" He closed his eyes, ready to absorb any impact for her. After a few more impacts, Natsu heard a strange noise.

"What is that?" He asked as he turned to see what was behind him. Natsu looked down the river but saw nothing. No rocks, no debris, no water. 'Why does the water just disappear?' He thought as he looked ahead. His eyes widened in horror as the answer hit him like a hammer. "No…"He whispered. Natsu could barely hear himself now. The roar of the waterfall drowned out his weak voice. "CRAP! That's the last thing we need right now!" He squeezed Wendy tighter as desperately tried to swim against the current. "WENDY! I WON'T LET YOU GO! YOU HEAR ME! I'LL KEEP YOU SAFE! I PROMISE!" Natsu screamed as the pair fell over the waterfall.

* * *

Wendy slowly opened her eyes. She was lying face down in a grassy clearing surrounded by trees. It was so dark that she could not see anything beyond the tree line.

"What…What happened?" She asked groggily. Wendy tried to pick herself up, but her action was met with waves of pain from all over her body. She stopped trying to move and sighed. It felt like every single muscle in her body was screaming at once. As her head cleared and she became aware of the world around her, Wendy became aware of the sound of rushing water several feet behind her. "That's right…" She said quietly. "We fell in the river." The wind blew and she shivered. The sun had gone down hours ago and the cold of night had taken its place. Wendy struggled to get onto her elbows. That was the first step in getting to her feet. Surprisingly, her body cooperated and she soon found herself lying on her hip with her upper body off the ground. The wind blew again and Wendy shivered. "I have to get out of the cold as soon as possible." She said as she began to roll to her knees. As soon as she began to move her left leg, her entirely body flooded in unimaginable pain. Wendy screamed in pain and fell back to the ground. Her hand instinctively rushed to her leg. As soon as she grabbed her leg, the pain came roaring back. She managed to stifle her scream this time. Wendy took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. After a few seconds, the pain in her leg subsided enough that she could think clearly. Pain still rippled through her body with every breath. "What happened to my leg?" She asked aloud. Wendy looked at her leg. The area around her shin was severely bruised and bleeding. She took a deep breath and pressed her fingers against the skin of her leg.

Wendy's magic was primarily for support and healing purposes. Because of that, Wendy decided long ago that she should needed to know how her magic affected those she healed. At Master Makarov's recommendation, Wendy began studying medicine. This way, she would be able to treat her guild mate's injuries with or without magic. By combining her healing magic with her knowledge of medicine and anatomy, she became a very efficient medic. She pressed her fingers against the side of her leg and ignored the pain that followed as best she could. "Oh no…" She mumbled, pulling her fingers away. "It's broke. Badly" She leaned back on the ground and gazed up at the sky. Wendy raised her hand above her head. She pooled her magic into her hand, causing it to produce a light blue glow. The glow faded and out. She sighed and stopped. Wendy knew she was running low on magic power. "Fighting the river must have taken more out of me that I thought…" She could heal her leg, that was no problem, but she needed time to regain her power before she could do anything. The wind blew again, as if to remind her that she was still in danger. It was too cold to stay out here. She had to find shelter.

Wendy took a deep breath and rolled onto her stomach. Pain shot up her leg, but she ignored it. She could not walk, so she would drag herself to find shelter. It would not be pleasant, but she had no other option. As she started moving towards the tree line, a familiar scent filled her nose.

"Natsu!" She exclaimed. Wendy would know his scent anywhere. It was coming from behind one of the trees. She drug herself to the tree and looked around it. Someone was sitting against it. "NATSU!" She shouted grabbing his hand. He was unconscious, but alive. Wendy looked at Natsu and she felt tears welling up in her eyes. Natsu's injuries were far more severe than hers. Even in the darkness of night, just from looking at him Wendy could tell the Dragon Slayer had dozens of injuries. She laid her hand on his chest. Wendy could feel that Natsu had at least two broken ribs. Tears started rolling down her face. "Natsu…" She said quietly, placing her hand gently on his cheek. "What happened to you?" Wendy closed her eyes and tried to remember. Everything that happened after she hit the water was a blur. She was not even sure how long she had been in the river. Natsu had to have saved her, but how did he do it? Wendy's thoughts were interrupted by the feeling of someone touching her hand. Gasping, her eyes shot open and she saw Natsu smiling at her. He held her hand in his.

"Hey." He said quietly. Wendy could hear the pain in Natsu's voice as he struggled to speak. "You're awake. That's good." Natsu winced in pain as he picked up his other arm and placed his hand on Wendy's head. He scratched her head. "I was worried about you." He smiled as her. A mixture of tears of joy and sadness streamed down Wendy's face.

"Oh Natsu…" Wendy said quietly. "Look at you… You're a mess…" As she spoke, her voice cracked with sobs. Natsu looked like he was about to pass out again. Unbelievably, he laughed.

"Don't worry about it." He said shaking his head. "It's not that bad. Besides: You're okay and that's all that matters." Natsu patted the ground next to him. "Sit down right here. You look cold." He said weakly. Wendy tried to comply, but a shot of pain from her leg stopped her in her tracks. Natsu looked at her with worry in his eyes. "You're hurt too?" He smiled warmly as he gently helped Wendy lean against the tree next to him. He was so gentle with her leg that she barely felt it when he helped her move it. Natsu laughed. "Looks like that stupid river kicked both of our asses." Wendy could not help but smile as Natsu laughed. There was just something about his carefree attitude that made Wendy think that everything might be alright. Without thinking, Wendy leaned her head against Natsu, resting her head on his shoulder. He looked over at her and smiled. Natsu did not seem to mind. In fact, if Wendy did not know any better, she might have thought that he was enjoying it too. Wendy felt her cheeks beginning to tingle. Maybe there was a chance for her after all. A sudden gust of wind snapped her back to reality and she shivered. Natsu smiled. "Hey, you're shivering." He said nonchalantly. Wendy laughed a bit.

"Yeah, I guess am." She said. "It's a bit cold out here and my clothes are still soaked." Natsu chuckled and put his arm around her shoulder. Wendy felt her cheeks getting so hot that she was scared that they might catch on fire.

"Mine too. But I can fix that." Natsu said lifting his injured arm. Wendy saw him visibly flinch as he moved his arm over his body until it was right next to her. A bright ball of fire appeared in his hand and Wendy immediately felt the warmth of Natsu's flames heating her chilled skin. She was surprised that Natsu had enough magic power to produce a strong, stable flame. Natsu smiled. "Better?" He asked gently. Wendy nodded.

"Yeah. That's much better. Thank you, Natsu." She said. The pair sat quietly for a few minutes just enjoying each other's presence. Wendy was exhausted and she wanted to fall asleep in Natsu's arms. But there was something she had to do first. "Hey Natsu?" She asked breaking the silence.

"What's up?" He asked after a seconds pause. Wendy could hear the strain in his voice. Maybe Natsu's injuries were affecting him more severely than she thought.

"I want to help you." Wendy said plainly. Natsu looked at her with a confused look. She motioned to his arm. "I can tell how badly you are hurt and I want to ease your pain a little." She said as she picked up her hand and rested it on his injured arm. As soon as her fingers touched his arm, her magic told her that the bone in his forearm was cracked. Wendy's heart ached. "You're in so much pain aren't you?" She asked as her heart felt like it was going to tear itself in two. "You are barely holding yourself together, and yet you are still looking out for me." She looked into his eyes and gave him a weak smile. "So let me help you. I don't have a lot of magic power left, but I can still heal some of your wounds." Wendy started to focus her remaining power into her hands, but the feeling of Natsu's arm being removed from her shoulders cause her to stop.

"Don't do that." He said gently grabbing her arm and laying it onto the ground next to her. Wendy's shoulders felt cold and exposed without his arm around them. "It's the middle of the night." He said pointing at the sky. "You're tired. Get some sleep and get your power back. We can deal with these cuts and scratches tomorrow okay?" Wendy gave him a skeptical look that was full of worry and doubt. Natsu replied by smiling and putting his arm back around Wendy's shoulders. "Don't worry about me okay? I'm a little banged up but it's nothing I can't handle." Natsu tried to sound confident but Wendy could hear the pained undertone of his voice. She still was not convinced. Natsu sighed and pulled his arm off her shoulders. Wendy frowned.

"Natsu, I can't just leave you like this. You will suffer all night." She said. Natsu shook his head.

"Nah, I'm fine. But, I'll tell you what." Natsu leaned forward. "You can heal me, but not until you heal this-" Natsu gently poked Wendy's broken leg causing the young Dragon Slayer to yelp in pain.

"Natsu!" Wendy snapped smacking his hand away. "Don't do that! That hurt!" Natsu nodded.

"I know it did." He replied gently. Natsu leaned back and wrapped his arm back around Wendy's shoulders. "And I'm really sorry." Natsu leaned his head back against the tree. "My injuries don't hurt nearly as badly as that does. Once you fix your leg, then you can worry about me." An evil smile appeared on Natsu's face. "Or else I'll keep you up all night poking your leg!" He let out an evil laugh. Wendy laughed.

"HA. As if I'd let you keep poking my leg, stupid." She said playfully. "I'll just move away from you. Then what would you do huh?" Natsu laughed.

"Yeah, sure." He smiled and pointed at her leg with his arm that was around her shoulders. "And where are you going to go with that?" Natsu replied playfully. "You couldn't get away from me. I have you at my mercy!" He let out another evil laugh. Wendy snorted.

"Mercy my foot." She sassed. "In your sorry state you couldn't beat Happy or Carla let alone a powerful, young Dragon Slayer like me." Wendy teased. Natsu turned his head away.

"Pffffff whatever. Go to sleep already." He turned his head back and stuck his tongue out at her. "You're bugging me." Wendy snorted.

"Yeah right." She said, sticking her tongue out at him. Honestly, Wendy had completely forgotten about how tired she was. She had been so focused on her banter with Natsu that her body momentarily forgot how injured it was. Natsu made a good point though. Wendy's healing magic was far more effective the healthier she was. Despite Natsu's confident words, Wendy knew his injuries were severely worse than hers and healing him would require a lot more magic power than she was capable of producing at that moment. Realistically, if Wendy wanted to heal Natsu, she would first have to focus on herself. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. "Alright…" She said quietly leaning her head against him. "I'll fix my leg tomorrow. After that it's you turn. Deal?" Natsu nodded and gave her thumbs up with his hand that was producing their fire.

"Deal." He said. "Now go to sleep okay?" Wendy nodded and closed her eyes. Not five minutes later, she was asleep. After making sure she was fast asleep, Natsu sighed and let the hand that had been holding up the flame fall to the ground. He grunted in pain as it bounced off of his leg. His whole body howled in protest to being moved. It was incredibly hard to keep himself composed in front of Wendy. Natsu coughed a few times and tasted blood at the back of his mouth. He ignored it and looked at the sleeping woman next to him. Dragon Slayers were far more durable than regular humans. This much damage was not life threatening, but it was not exactly pleasant either. Even Wendy's head resting gently against his shoulder sent waves of pain throughout his body. He sighed. "Yeah. Powerful and beautiful." He mumbled with a smile. He leaned his head back against the tree and closed his eyes. Shortly after, Natsu fell into a restless sleep.

* * *

The sun was barely peaking over the horizon when Wendy opened her eyes. She found herself lying on the ground right where she had fallen asleep last night. She sat up, stretched and yawned. Despite being stranded on a screwed up mountain, Wendy had slept pretty well. As she stretched, a flash of excruciating pain shot through her leg. Wendy cried out and grabbed for her leg. She took a few deep breaths and waited for the pain in her leg to subside a bit. Despite the pain, a warm smile flashed across her face.

"Last night felt like a dream." She said gently rubbing her leg. Her leg throbbed with each rub, but it was nothing compared to the utter bliss flowing through her mind. Thinking back to last night, she felt her cheeks start to tingle. Even if it did not mean anything to him, being able to spend the night alone, cuddled up with Natsu meant the world to Wendy. She knew that her friend had saved her from the river yesterday, but the whole thing was still nothing but a painful blur. She still could not remember anything from her and Natsu falling into the river, to waking up in the clearing. Wendy sat up and turned towards the river where she had woken up. It was only several yards away, and she could see exactly where she had woken up. Her injuries were so bad that she barely made it to where she sat now. Somehow, Natsu had saved her, just like he always did. "Come to think of it," She said aloud. "Natsu… I wonder how you got me out of the river in the first place." A sound to her right made her turn around. The sudden movement sent a wave of pain through her leg and Wendy winced. Natsu came limping out of the forest holding his side with one arm and a small paper bag with the other. Wendy glanced at the spot where he had been when she fell asleep last night. Honestly, she had not realized the spot was empty. He smiled when he saw her.

"Hey there lazy. How'd you sleep?" Natsu limped over to where Wendy sat and looked down at her. It had been too dark for her to get a good look at Natsu after she woke up last night, but now in the early hours of the morning, Wendy got a good look at most of his wounds. Overall, the pink haired Dragon Slayer looked like crap. He had about a dozen ugly looking bruises, scratches and bumps. Those however, were just the visible wounds. Wendy could tell that Natsu's left arm had taken a serious beating. Wendy knew from last night that he had a cracked bone, and she could plainly see from the way he moved it that it had been dislocated and improperly reset. Those were bad, but there was one wound that she could see that really concerned Wendy. Her eyes came to rest on Natsu's side. His side had been bleeding.

'That's right…' She thought sadly. 'The hook. That big guy grabbed Natsu and pulled him over the river with that damned thing.' It looked like the bleeding had stopped some time ago, but it was a jagged wound and Wendy was concerned about infection setting in. Natsu leaned against the tree and slid down so that he was sitting next to her again. "Good morning." Wendy said flashing him the warmest smile she could muster. "All things considered, I slept pretty well." Natsu nodded.

"I'm glad to hear it." He motioned to her leg with his head. "You had me a bit worried there for a while." Wendy laughed.

"Yeah, look who's talking." She replied playfully flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Mr. I'm barely in one piece. Better go for a morning walk. You have no room to talk." Natsu shrugged.

"Hey, I had to find something for breakfast." He responded. "Here." Natsu put the paper bag he been carrying on the ground next between them. He ripped open the side of the bag revealing several apples of various colors. He picked one up and handed it her. Wendy could tell every movement he made hurt him in some way. "Dig in!" He said with a smile. Wendy nodded and the two happily enjoyed their small, fruity breakfast. It was not much, but it was the best they were going to get for the moment. After they finished eating, Wendy leaned back against their tree.

"Those were pretty good." She said sweetly. "Where did you find them at? Come to think of it, where'd you get the bag from? You didn't bring it with you, did you?" Natsu did not respond. Wendy turned her head to look at her companion. He had turned away from her and was staring intently off into the forest. His demeanor had changed completely "Natsu? A-are you okay?" She asked nervously. After a few awkward seconds Natsu turned back to Wendy.

"Uhh, Yeah… Everything's fine." He said suspiciously. "Wendy, go ahead and heal your leg now." Natsu turned his attention back to the forest. It looked like he was smelling or listening for something. Wendy shook her head.

"You don't have to worry about me. My magic constantly heals me." She held up her arm. Sure enough, most of her minor bruises and cuts were gone. "My body has already begun to heal itself. Even my leg is feeling better. I can focus on you instead." Natsu turned back to her and waved his finger in the air.

"No. You promised me that you would heal yourself completely first remember? " He reminded her. Wendy sighed.

"Alright fine." She knew there was no point in arguing, even if it was just a way of flirting with Natsu. He was really distracted right now and it did not seem like he was going to play along this time. Wendy took a deep breath and placed her hands on her leg. A strong blue light enveloped her hands as she poured magic into her leg. She could feel her magic repairing the fractured bone and mending the minor wounds on the rest of her leg. Healing magic flowed from her leg throughout her body, fixing every wound it came across. After a few moments Wendy removed her hand and let the blue light fade away. She stretched her once broken leg. It felt great. "There we go." She said carefully standing up. "All better. Mostly anyway. I'm still going to have to take it easy and let my leg heal naturally for a few days. But, I can walk on it again." Wendy was surprised how little magic power she had used. Maybe her leg had not been as bad as she thought. "Hey Natsu, I still have a lot of power left. Can I take care of you?" Wendy waited for a response. Natsu had his eyes glued to the forest like he was waiting for something to jump out at them. "Hello? Wendy to Natsu. Are you awake in there?" She said tapping the back of his head. "Natsu turned his head and looked at her.

"Huh? Oh yeah I'm here." He said. Natsu struggled to stand up. "Come on." He grunted as he nearly fell. Wendy managed to grab him and help him to his feet. "We gotta go now." Natsu started limping towards the tree line opposite of where he had been looking. Wendy stepped in front of him.

"Oh no, no, no." She said quickly blocking his path. "You are in no condition to be going anywhere. Sit your butt back down and let me heal you." She put her hand on his chest to stop him from moving. Natsu placed his hand on Wendy's arm and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but we don't have time for that right now." He limped past her. He walked into the tree line and disappeared into the dense forest. Wendy cocked her head off to the side and jogged to catch up with Natsu. It did not take long for her to catch him.

"What do you mean we don't have time for it right now?" She stepped in front of him again. If you keep moving you are only going to-" Natsu cut Wendy's sentence off by putting his hand over her mouth. He put his finger on his lips.

"Shhh, be quiet." He whispered. Natsu pulled Wendy behind a large tree and pointed back in the direction they had come from. "Listen." He whispered. Wendy nodded and started listening. Immediately she heard what Natsu had been listening to. Her blood ran cold.

"Hey! I thought you said you saw the pink haired guy!" A deep male's voice said.

"I did!" A second voice snapped. "The bastard punched me in the face and took my apples. Don't worry though. He's around here somewhere. We'll find him." Wendy could hear someone snort.

"We better." A third voice said. "The boss wants to pay pinky back for burning his face. Spread out and find him!" The man laughed. Wendy bottom jaw quivered as the realization fell over her.

They were being hunted.

* * *

 **End Chapter 4**


	5. Worry, Doubt and a Flower

**When the Sky Falls for the Flame**

 **Chapter 5: Worry, Doubts and a Flower**

* * *

"You…Took…Their…Apples!?" Wendy hissed as quietly as she could. She brought her hand up to her face and covered her eyes. "Natsu, you idiot…" She whined. Natsu shrugged.

"Well, we needed something to eat, right?" He whispered with a dopey grin. Wendy slowly drug her hand down her face and shot her companion a glare that could rip through armor. This was bad. Only a thin line of trees and bushes separated them from being spotted. One wrong move and they would have a fight on their hands and that was something neither of them were able to handle at this point. Natsu chuckled. "And you didn't seem to care where I got them from when you were shoving apples in your face." He teased. Wendy let out a quiet groan.

"That's not the point!" She snapped louder than she meant to. Realizing what she had done, Wendy's hand immediately shot to her mouth in a feeble attempt to muffle her voice. She could practically hear the men in the clearing turn towards their location.

"Did you guys hear that?!" One of them asked.

"Their over there! In the trees!" Another one shouted. Natsu grabbed Wendy's shoulder.

"Watch out!" Natsu shoved her to the side as one of the men tore through the bush they were hiding behind. The man was only there for a second before a fist of fire sent him flying back the way he came. "We gotta go! Move it, loud mouth." He stuck his tongue out at her. The fact that Natsu was still able to tease her made Wendy feel better. He was confident in their ability to deal with their pursuers if they had to. Wendy rolled her eyes.

"Oh shut up. It's your fault anyway…" She teased as she ran ahead of the older Dragon Slayer. As they made their way through the forest, Wendy could hear the men running after them, shouting unkind things in their general direction. One of them shouted something that caught Natu's attention.

"Oh yeah!? Up yours pal!" He shouted over his shoulder as he started to stop. "Come over here and say that to my face!" Wendy turned and grabbed Natsu by his collar.

"No!" She scolded. Wendy shoved Natsu ahead of her. "Don't piss the locals off any more than you already have!" Natsu frowned.

"Sorry." He answered and kept running. Wendy noticed that Natsu's movements were stiff and labored. She felt a pang of regret. Natsu was in no shape to be running like this. Because of her careless action, Natsu was now forced to push his injured body in order to stay alive. Natsu seemed to feel her eyes on him and glanced over at her. "Wendy, we will be fine. We can get away from these guys." He reassured her. Wendy knew Natsu was right.

'There's no point in feeling sorry for myself now.' She thought. 'At this point, the best thing we can do is completely avoid a fight. If that means running, so be it.' Wendy was more than confident in her own ability to deal with these men, but putting too much strain on her leg was a bad idea. While her magic had repaired the fracture, the bone was still fragile. Her leg needed time to naturally heal. Her magic had accelerated the process considerably, but too much stress on her leg may cause it to fracture again. The stress she was putting it under now was causing it to ache.

Suddenly, Natsu came to a dead stop and grabbed Wendy. He scooped her up and jumped into a large bush. Natsu laid her down on the ground and motioned for her to remain quiet. Wendy nodded silently and waited.

A few moments later, Wendy heard the men come crashing through the trees. The men ran right past their hiding spot and ran deeper into the woods. They were still shouting unkind things, mostly directed at Natsu. As the men's voices grew quieter, Natsu let out a soft breath.

"Alright… I think we lost them." He said quietly as he held his hand to his side. Natsu looked like he was in a great deal of pain. Wendy felt her heart sink. She could not imagine how much stress their escape had put on his already weakened body. But now was not the time to worry about that. They had to make sure they were safe first. Natsu leaned against a tree and closed his eyes. He turned his head so his ears were facing the direction that the men had been heading. Wendy nodded and did the same, listening for any suspicious noises. All she heard were the natural sounds of the forest. Natsu's senses were considerably sharper than Wendy's, so she decided to leave the surveillance to him. If he could not hear anything, then they were probably okay. As she waited patiently for Natsu to say something, Wendy saw a spot of blood forming on Natsu's shirt. He was bleeding. Wendy gasped.

'The hole in his side…' She thought to herself as she leaned in close to get a better look at it. 'It wasn't bleeding before was it?' In their attempt to escape, the wound must have reopened. It was bleeding again and it was quickly getting worse. As Wendy watched, she could see the blood beginning to seep through Natsu's shirt and it was beginning to run down his leg. Leaving the wound alone would no doubt cause more problems for them later on. Wendy made a decision. This could not wait any longer. "Natsu, can you hear them? How far away are they?" She asked glancing around to see if the area they were in was secluded enough for them to stop for a while. Natsu shook his head in annoyance.

"I can't really tell. I don't hear anything, so I'm guessing we gave them the slip." He said sighing and standing up. His movement appeared to cause him pain as he flinched when his foot hit the ground. "No more running. We should be able to walk now." He said in a pained voice. "Well, let's keep rolling. We aren't going to get home by standing around all day." He forced a smile and started to walk again. Wendy took a deep breath and steeled herself. Natsu would not like this, but she had no choice.

"No." She replied forcefully. "You aren't going anywhere until I heal you." Wendy crossed her arms. "At the very least, I have to close that hole in your side. It's bleeding like crazy." Natsu looked down at his side. The bleeding was getting worse. A small, steady stream of blood reached from Natsu's side to the ground. He scratched his head.

"Oh. I didn't know that was bleeding again. Don't worry. I can take care of it." Natsu said as he grabbed the bottom of his shirt. Wendy tilted her head to the side.

"Take care of it?" She asked completely confused. "How are you going to do that?" Natsu lifted up his shirt revealing an ugly burn mark around the location of the wound. Wendy's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened in horror. She knew exactly what he had done. Natsu smiled and engulfed his hand in fire.

"With this." He answered. "I did it last night after I pulled you out of the river. It hurt like crazy, but I stopped the bleeding." Natsu smiled as he compressed the flames to two of his fingers. Wendy covered her mouth with her hands.

"You…You burned the hole shut…? Wendy asked in disbelief. Her voice was muffled by her hands. Natsu nodded.

"Yeah. I had to. If I hadn't, I would have been bleeding all night." Natsu brought his hand to this side. "I'll patch this up real quick and we can move on." Wendy gasped and lunged forward.

"NO!" She shouted, grabbing his arm and pulling it away. "DON'T DO THAT!" Wendy blew on Natsu's fingers to put the flames out. "No! Bad Natsu. Don't you dare!" She felt her eyes starting to water. Wendy realized that she had no Idea what Natsu had done to not only keep her safe, but keep himself alive all last night. The idea that he inflicted this kind of torment upon himself in order to stay alive broke Wendy's heart in pieces. She felt tears pushing at her eyes. "Let me take care of it. I'll close the wound." Natsu let go of his shirt and let it fall back over the wound.

Thanks, but it's okay for now." He stepped out of the bush and started walking through the trees. "We might run into those guys again soon. If you use up your power healing me now, we will have trouble fighting back." Natsu ducked under a low hanging branch and continued walking. "Come on, I'll be fine until we get somewhere safer okay?" As he cleared the low branch and started to stand back up, Natsu stumbled and fell to his knee. Wendy ran over to help him, but he held out his hand telling her to stop. As he began to pull himself back up, Natsu's eyes widened and he started coughing. He dropped back down to his knees and coughed up a little bit of blood. Wendy felt her lower lip quivering as she watched him. She began to reach for him again as tears started rolling down her face. "I'm fine." He choked. "It's nothing. Seriously." Wendy clenched her fist. It was not nothing. She knew that continuing was not an option.

"Natsu, please stop." She begged. "You…You can't keep going. You are so badly hurt that you can barely move." Tears rolled down Wendy's face as she watched the man she was falling for suffer in silence. "J-Just a few minutes. That's all I'm asking for. Just a few minutes to close that wound and we will go as far as you want. Please." Wendy knelt down next to him and laid her head on his shoulder. She rested her hand on his uninjured arm. "I don't want to watch you suffer like this." Natsu sighed and grabbed Wendy's hand with his other hand. Wendy could feel him flinch in pain as he moved his arm. He wrapped his fingers around her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I'm not suffering that badly." He said softly. Natsu gave her hand another gentle squeeze, trying to reassure her. It did not work. It was clear that running had worsened Natsu's condition considerably. No words were going to convince her otherwise. "I can hold myself together a little longer, okay?" He let go of her fingers and struggled to stand up. Wendy stayed kneeling as he moved away from her. Upon reaching his feet, he started walking again. Wendy knew she had to stop him. "Just a little further…" He said in a strained voice. Natsu coughed again. Wendy stood up and began walking after him. She felt like she was lost in a fog. The idea that Natsu might not make it off this mountain flashed through her mind. No. She would not let that happen. Wendy could not control her body anymore. She was trembling. "We can find a safe place up ahe-." Natsu's words were cut off as something bumped into him from behind. Wendy wrapped her arms around his stomach and pulled him back against her as gently as she could. She buried her face in his back as she held him in place.

"Natsu, please stop…" Wendy begged as tears streamed down her face. Natsu could feel the young woman trembling and crying behind him. "I…I can't watch you… push yourself like this." Her words were interrupted by gentle sobs. "You…You don't have to….You don't have to pretend to be strong… Not for me…" Wendy stopped talking as she buried her face deep into Natsu's back trying to stifle her cries. As she regained control of herself, she pulled her head away. "You're going… You're going to kill yourself..." Wendy whispered as she squeezed his shirt with her fingers. "I…I can't watch that happen… Not now…Not after everything that we have been through!" Wendy struggled to control the volume of her voice. She cried into his back again, unable to speak for a few moments. Finally, she managed to whisper one more word. "…p-please…" Wendy kept her arms around Natsu, ignoring her trembling body. She did not know what else to do. Finally Natsu spook.

"Okay…" He said gently. Wendy felt a wave of relief consume her. She closed her eyes and let out a long sigh as she tried to stop the rivers of tears that were rolling down her face. Natsu waited patiently as Wendy tried to calm herself down. As her sobs grew quieter, Wendy loosened her grip around Natsu's stomach. He took a step away from her and turned to face Wendy. Natsu picked his hand up and used his finger to wipe away the last of the tears that were rolling down her cheek. "It's okay." He whispered. "Take as much time as you need. We won't move until you are smiling again. Okay?" Wendy smiled as sweetly as she could and helped Natsu sit down against a nearby tree. As soon as was sitting, her hands started to glow.

"Thank you…" She said softly.

* * *

Wendy leaned her head back against a tree. She closed her eyes and let out a long happy sigh. It had been about half an hour since Natsu agreed to let her fix his wounds. Unfortunately, the process of healing him took a lot more magic power out of her than she thought it would. She had managed to heal the majority of her companion's injuries and, while they were more severe than she realized, they were no longer an issue. Natsu was mostly patched up and just as hyper as ever. To her disappointment, almost as soon as Natsu was able to walk, he jumped up and took off by himself. That was nearly ten minutes ago. Wendy was a bit worried and wanted him to come back, for a couple reasons. Besides her loneliness, Natsu was in the same boat as Wendy at this point. While his injuries were healed, he would have to take it easy for a few days to allow his body to finish the healing process naturally. Running around like a fool was not going to help. But as long as Natsu needed her to heal him, she would be there. Wendy's let out a laugh.

"I wonder if the Master and Mira would let the two of us rest in the Guild's infirmary…" Wendy said to herself. She giggled and blushed at the idea of her and Natsu sharing a room. Wendy cleared her throat and pretended to be professional. "Of course, I would only want that so I can make sure he is healing properly! A good doctor has to make sure her patients are properly taken care of!" She lied. Wendy held her professional expression for a few seconds before she burst into a fit of giggles. Her teenaged mind began creating fantasies of their time in the infirmary together. As she lost herself to her fantasies, Wendy began squirming and laughing out loud. Her fantasies were shattered by the sound of something moving around in the foliage nearby. Natsu poked his pink haired head out of a large bush.

"Hey doc!" He said with a stupid grin on his face. "What's so funny?" Wendy felt her face immediately start burning and tingling. She sat up and tried to regain control of her thoughts.

"N-Nothing really." She lied. Wendy cleared her throat and squirmed uncomfortably. "N-n-never mind that. Where did you run off to?" She asked trying to change the subject as quickly as possible. Natsu shrugged.

"Nowhere really." Playfully mimicking her previous answer. Wendy sighed and smiled back.

"You're mean." She teased. Natsu jump out of the bush, brushing leaves off of his shoulders.

"Yeah, I know. I just had something I wanted to find before we left." He said suspiciously. Wendy arched her eyebrow.

"What on earth did you want to find?" She asked. Wendy had no clue what Natsu would be looking for in the middle of the forest. Natsu shook his head, clicking his tongue.

"Nope. That's a secret." He said shooting her a toothy grin. "Ready to go?" He asked holding out a hand to the sitting woman. Wendy flickered her hair over her shoulder.

"But of course." She answered in the most regal voice she could, graciously accepting his hand. Natsu pulled her to her feet. Despite everything that had happened to them so far, Wendy found herself strangely content. She had no doubt that the two of them would find their way down the mountain and back to safety. In her mind, as long as she was at Natsu's side, everything would work out. "If you aren't going to tell me what you were doing, I guess we have no other choice, you jerk." Wendy whined. Natsu laughed motioned in the direction he had just came from. Wendy nodded and started walking in that direction. After a few steps, Natsu spoke up.

"Well, I guess I can tell you if you're going to be such a baby about it." Natsu said spinning in place so that he was walking backwards. "I wanted to find something. Can you guess what it was?" Wendy thought for a moment.

"Probably food knowing you." She teased. Natsu snorted and tripped over an exposed tree root. Wendy laughed as he almost hit the ground. "You know, that's going to happen if you keep walking backwards like that." Natsu shrugged.

"No tree is going to beat me." Natsu replied. "Anyway, no it wasn't food. But I could definitely go for some barbeque right about now." He said as he started drooling. Wendy's curiosity grew.

"Aye, focus." She teased snapping her fingers and returning the drooling Dragon Slayer to reality. "If it wasn't food then what was so important?"

"Oh right. Here, close your eyes for a second. Don't open them until I tell you to." He said tripping over another tree root. Wendy felt her cheeks getting hot. Her fantasies from earlier flashed through her head. Pushing them aside, Wendy complied and closed her eyes. A second later, she felt something thin appear on top of her ear. At the same moment, a pleasing smell drifted into her nose. "Okay," Natsu said. "You can open your eyes." Wendy opened her eyes and saw that Natsu had turned back around and was facing away from her. He said nothing, creating an awkward silence as Wendy waited for him to explain his actions. Getting no response from her companion, Wendy rolled her eyes in the direction of her ear. She could see something, but she could not make out what it was. Wendy reached up and picked the object off of her ear. When she saw what it was, she felt her heart began to beat like crazy.

In between her fingers, rested the most beautiful flower she had ever seen. It almost looked like a rose, but its petals were too big. The petals alternated between the distinct shades of pink and blue. Wendy immediately thought about her and Natsu. Looking at them a bit closer, she realized that the colors of the petals were practically identical to their hair color; Wendy's dark blue and Natsu's strong pink. The stem was a beautiful shade of dark green and was perfectly smooth. This was easily the most unique flower she had ever seen. Wendy was speechless. It was as if this flower was made specifically for them. Wendy started giggling.

"It's so pretty! I love it!" She said between her giggles. Natsu nodded.

"I knew you would." He as he looked over his shoulder and smiled at Wendy. "It's a thank you gift. You really saved my butt today." Natsu turned his whole body to look at her. "Thank you, Wendy. I mean it." He said seriously. Wendy looked back at the precious gift that rested between her fingers. Her mind was racing.

'Well.' She thought to herself. 'It may not be an admission of love, but I think it's close enough.' Wendy giggled to herself as she placed the flower back over her ear. That was where Natsu had put it, and that was where Wendy wanted it to stay. Wendy could not stop her grin from spreading across her face as she thought about her new treasure. 'How am I going to explain it to Carla…' She thought. Wendy knew her cat would draw the same conclusion that Wendy did when she first saw the flower. Carla would most likely not approve of her growing feelings towards Natsu. In fact, the white cat would probably forbid it entirely. 'Ehh.' She thought. 'We can cross that bridge when we come to it.' Wendy was so happy that she started humming. Her hums were interrupted by the sound of flowing water. Wendy looked up and found herself at the edge of a river.

"Hey look," Natsu said pointing at it. "Wanna go for a swim?" Wendy laughed.

"No, I think I have had enough swimming for a few days." She answered. Just looking at the rushing water sent uncomfortable feelings down her spine. "But we can use this to get off the mountain." Natsu looked at her and tilted his head.

"How?" He asked. Wendy smiled at his simple question.

"All of these rivers flow down to the base of the mountain." She explained. "If we follow the current, it will probably empty into the lake where Everwater City is." Natsu's face broke out into a huge grin.

"Seriously?!" He exclaimed. "That's freaking awesome! Way to go Wendy!" Natsu thrusted his fists into the air. "Heck yeah! Let's get off this crazy mountain!" He shouted as he turned and started running down the bank of the river following its current. After a few seconds he looked over his shoulder and looked at Wendy, who had not moved. "Hurry up slow poke!" He called. Wendy groaned and ran to catch up.

"Natsu! Wait up!" She called. She watched as the distance between her and her companion started to increase. In terms of running speed, Wendy was faster than Natsu, but she did not want to risk sprinting again. One time was bad enough, and she did not know if her leg could handle another run. Frankly, it was a bad idea for him to be running like that. If he did not slow down, she was going to lose him or worse. "Slow down! You're going to hurt yourself again!" Wendy watched as Natsu arrived at a fork in the river, turned to follow it, and disappeared from her sight. "Dammit." She mumbled. "When I catch up to him, I'm gonna-" Her words were cut off as a figure jumped out of the forest and tackled Wendy to the ground. "OWW!" She squealed as she slammed face first into the hard ground. Her flower flew off her ear and landed a few feet in front of her. Wendy tried to reach for it, but she found her arms pinned under someone's weight.

"Well well," A vaguely familiar voice said. "Lookie what I found boys." Wendy's eyes widened as she heard several other people exit the forest. She could hear a few of them snicker.

"The pink one got away." Another man said. "Buuuuuuut I think we got a much sweeter prize right here." He laughed.

"Oh yeah." A third voice said. "Let's take her back to camp. We can have some fun with her there. And I'll bet pinky will come looking for her. We can kill two birds with one stone!" All of the men broke out into laughter. Wendy sighed in disgust. She sick and tired of these idiots talking about her this way. Even worse, they were preventing her from reaching her flower.

"Get off me." She demanded. The men's laughter came to abrupt end. The one pinning her down snorted.

"What was that?" He asked in a cocky voice. His tone just pissed Wendy off.

"What are you deaf?!" She snapped. "I'm not going anywhere with you. Get off." She demanded. The gathered men broke out into laughter again.

"Are you serious?" The man asked. "Yeah right. Not going to happen." He replied as he released one of Wendy's arms. "As if big scary men like us would take orders from a little girl!" The man roared with laughter. Wendy tried to reach her flower, but it was too far away. Being unable to reach her flower just pissed her off more. Wendy pooled magic into her free hand. She was done screwing with these morons.

"I said…" The wind around her began to pick up. Her attackers looked around, trying to figure out where the wind was coming from. The wind swirled around Wendy's free arm like a gauntlet. "GET THE FUCK OFF ME!" She screamed as she forcefully expelled a gust of violent wind at the man sitting on her. The man screamed as Wendy's attack sent him flying into the air and into the river. The man's screams continued as the current pulled him downstream. Wendy visibly flinched when she realized what sort of language she had used. If Carla had heard her talk like that, there would be hell to pay. She shuddered at the thought.

Wendy climbed to her feet and looked around at the men that surrounded her. On the few feet of clear ground between the river and the forest, a dozen men stood in stunned silence. Wendy could tell from the scent on the air that even more were hiding in the forest around her. There just was not enough room next to the river for all of them to fit. How this many people managed to get this close to her without her catching their scent was beyond her. It did not matter, and Wendy really did not care. There was only one thing on her mind at that very moment. Wendy walked over to her flower and picked it up. She made sure that it was not damaged and placed it back over her ear. After ensuring that her flower was secure, the wind picked up again as Wendy gathered more wind around her. She glared at the men around her.

"You people are vile." Wendy's hair began fluttering in the wind around her. The men around her began to slide as the winds pushed them back. "How dare you look at me like I'm nothing more than a toy for your entertainment!?" Wendy stepped towards her attackers and they fell back in shock. Wendy vanished and reappeared right in the center of the group of men. They tried to scramble away but it was too late. " **SKY DRAGON'S WING ATTACK!** " Wendy screamed as she expelled violent whirlwinds of air from her arms. The force of her attack tore trees out of the ground and sent them flying in all directions. Men unfortunate enough to get caught up in her attack suffered the same fate as the trees. Wendy looked at the clearing she had made in the forest around her. Men that had not been hit by her attack flooded into the clearing.

"What are you idiots doing?!" One of them shouted. "She's just a girl! She can't beat all of us! GET HER!" Wendy watched as the men charged at her from all directions. She laughed sarcastically and jumped directly up into the sky above their heads.

"I'm just a girl huh?!" Wendy shouted as hurricane force winds danced around her. She held her hands out in front of her. Small twisters formed in her palms. "I don't care if I am "just a girl". I CAN STILL BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF ALL OF YOU!" Wendy screamed as she threw the twisters at the ground. Her attackers were scattered as the violent winds threw them around like rag dolls. A couple men grabbed on to trees or stabbed their weapons into the ground to try and withstand the brutal winds. One of them cried out in fear.

"What the hell is this girl!?" Wendy appeared on the ground in front of him.

"I'm a Fairy Tail Wizard, asshole." She said in the most terrifying tone any of the men had ever heard. Wendy charged forward so fast the men did not see her move. " **SKY DRAGON'S CRUSHING FANG!** " She shouted as she slashed at them with claws of ferocious wind. Dozens of men flew into the air as the young Dragon Slayer furiously attacked them. One by one her attackers were driven into the ground or were sent spiraling into the deep forest. She did not care what happened to these men. In her mind they did not deserve mercy. Her attackers desperately tried to fight back, but they were no match for the anger fueled Dragon Slayer. The fight was over in a matter of minutes.

As her winds died down, Wendy found herself in a field of unconscious men. She looked around to see if anyone else was going to try and stand up. When none of them did, Wendy let out a long sigh of relief.

"Assholes." She spit. Wendy was not sure where she picked this kind of language, but she made a mental note to never speak like this around Carla. As she looked around the field, she found her mind drifting to Natsu and the gift he had given her. "Oh, my flower." Wendy reached up to her ear to see if it was still there. As he fingers touched her ear, she froze in horror. The flower was gone. She felt her blood run cold. Wendy darted around the field, desperately trying to find it. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no." She mumbled as she ran. Nearly in panic, she started picking up the unconscious men and throwing them aside. "If any of you landed on my flower, I'll rip you all to shreds!" Her words were intense, but her voice wavered as if she was on the verge of tears.

The sound of someone stepping into the clearing caused her to growl and lung at the newcomer without thinking. Wind swirled around her hand as she tried to attack whoever was stupid enough to approach her now. Before her attack was able to connect with its target, the person stopped her attack by gently grabbing her wrist. The sudden action brought her panic induced rampage to an abrupt end. Wendy blinked a few times, trying to figure out who was holding her wrist. The person's mere presence was having an incredible calming effect on her. After a few seconds her mind processed who was holding her arm. Standing in front of her was Natsu. Wendy's eyes widened in terror as she realized that she still did not have her flower. How was she going to tell him that she had lost his gift to her? Natsu looked at her and grinned like a fool.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" He yelled as he let go of Wendy's wrist. Wendy felt her heart sink into her feet. He was going to be so disappointed in her.

"Natsu?" She asked as she tried to avoid eye contact. "When did you… I mean, how long have you been standing here?" Natsu dropped his hand on top of Wendy's head and scratched it. His scratches sent waves of pleasure throughout her body.

"You know, Carla would be so pissed if she heard you talking like that." He answered. For a moment, Wendy was not sure what he meant. His scratching was distracting her too much. After he stopped and removed his hand she was able to think clearly.

"Wait…" She said finally realizing what he meant. "You mean you saw the whole thing?!" Wendy shouted in disbelief. Natsu nodded.

"Yep. I watched you blast the jerk off your back and I watched you beat up all of the other guys." He said looking around the new clearing. "I saw that you weren't following me, so I came back to find you." Natsu laughed. "When I saw you pinned to the ground, I was ready to jump in, but I knew you could handle these weaklings. You're way too strong to let them drag you off." Wendy felt her cheeks beginning to tingle. Knowing that Natsu was watching her fight and did not interfere brought a feeling of pride into her heart. It also brought a feeling of despair. He trusted her, and she let him down. Sure, she had beaten those idiots, but she lost her flower in the process. In her eyes, that was worse than needing Natsu to rescue her.

"Natsu…" She said turning her eyes to the ground. She felt tears stinging her eyes. "I… I'm so sorry… I…" Wendy stopped talking as she felt Natsu put something on her ear. The object felt familiar. She perked up and brought her hand up to her ear. Sitting in its rightful spot, was her flower. She was so relieved that she could barely hold back her tears. She did not know what to say. Natsu placed his hand back on top of her head.

"Good job kid. You kick some serious ass." He said. Their pair looked at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter.

* * *

After a short break, Wendy and Natsu continued their walk along the river. Following Wendy's plan, they were following the current, hoping it would eventually lead them to the city. It only took a few seconds for Natsu to notice Wendy was limping.

"Hey wait a second." He said coming to a stop. "Those guys didn't hurt you did they?" Wendy shook her head and laughed.

"No, not even close." She motioned towards her previously broken leg. "I think I might have overdone it a bit. My leg is killing me." Wendy sighed. "I knew this would happen if I wasn't careful. I'm lucky it didn't break again." She groaned. Natsu laughed.

"Ah, no biggie." He said walking around in front of Wendy. He kneeled down in front of her. "Here. Hop on." Wendy hesitated.

"W-what?" She asked. Natsu turned his head and smiled.

"You hurt your leg again, so I'll carry you for a while." He replied. "That way your leg can rest." Wendy felt her cheeks turning red.

"N-Natsu, I-" Wendy started to speak when she was cut off by the sound of a familiar voice.

"NAAAAAAATTTTTTSSUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" The voice screamed as it gradually got louder. Out of nowhere, a blue streak flew pasted Wendy and slammed into Natsu's back. The impact knocked him face first onto the ground. It was Happy.

"Happy?" Wendy gasped. She could not believe her eyes. A second later, she felt something soft smash into her back.

"Wendy!" Carla exclaimed. "Thank goodness we finally found you!" The white cat sounded like she was on the verge of tears. Wendy was overjoyed.

"Carla!" She shouted as she reached around behind her and scooped up her cat. Wendy hugged Carla as she fell to her knees. "You found us! I can't believe it!" She exclaimed. Wendy felt a heavy, armored hand drop on her shoulder.

"Well, it was a bit hard to miss the flying trees." Erza said plainly. The older woman pulled Wendy back against her chest and hugged her. "You have no idea how worried I was." She said quietly. Wendy could have sworn Erza sounded like she as crying. "We searched for you two all night… We were afraid that you both were gone for good." Erza said as tears rolled down her face. Lucy stepped around in front of Wendy and gave her a warm smile. Despite her smile, Wendy could see the tears in Lucy's eyes.

"We had no idea where you two were." She said kneeling down next to Wendy. "I was so worried…" Lucy said as she hugged Wendy. Wendy heard another pair of foot steps behind her.

"But, as soon as we saw trees being torn out of the ground and hurled into the sky, we knew exactly where you two boneheads were." Grey said. Wendy could not see him, but she could hear the relief in his voice. Even the cool Ice Wizard was worried about them. Tears of joy rolled down Wendy's face.

"HOLD UP!" Natsu shouted. Wendy could not see him but she heard him get up. "What happened to the hook guy?" He demanded. "I owe that jackass a punch in the face for what he did to us." Grey chuckled.

"Him? You don't have to worry about him. Erza massacred that dude. I would honestly be surprised if he is still alive." Grey said nonchalantly. "Sorry man, looks like you missed your chance." Natsu groaned.

"Dammit!" He exclaimed. "But I really wanted to punch that guy's teeth in!" Wendy let out a long sigh of relief.

They were saved.

* * *

 **End Chapter 5**


	6. Finally Home

**When the Sky Falls for the Flame**

Chapter 6: Finally Home

* * *

Two days later, Wendy turned around to take one last look at Everwater City. Her and her team were finally on their way back to Fairy Tail. After receiving a full report about Wendy's and Natsu's condition, Erza decided that they would delay their return to Magnolia. She decided that it would be best for the both of them to get a couple days of uninterrupted rest to recuperate a bit. Something bothered Wendy though: Erza never asked what they had gone through after they were separated. She never asked them to explain to her how they managed to survive. Neither Wendy nor Natsu chose to bring it up though. After a few days in a wonderful hotel in Everwater City, The team prepared to board a train to return to Magnolia. It was time for them to go home. Wendy smiled at the thought of seeing all of her friends again.

'It weird,' She thought as her eyes shifted from the city to the mountain. 'There was a point where I honestly did not think I would be able to Fairy Tail, and yet here is am.' Wendy looked at Everwater Mountain with a mixture of hate and fear. She would not miss that place. However, not all of her memories were bad. Wendy brought her hand up to her ear. There, sitting in its rightful place, was her flower. The simple little gift meant the world to her and she was going to do everything she could to treasure it. Wendy had already bought a small vase to keep it in. It was a small vase that was the same shade of green as the flower's stem. It was decorated with two dragons circling the vase in opposite directions. Wendy had seen it and immediately thought it was perfect vessel for a gift from one Dragon Slayer to another. Wendy could not help but think back to the time that she and Natsu spent together on that mountain. She found herself wishing that the two of them had had a little more time alone. She loved spending time with him, even if their lives were in danger. Before Wendy had a chance to fall deeper into thought, she felt a hand drop onto her shoulder. The sudden action snapped her back to reality. She turned her head to look at the person standing next to her. There, shooting her a big toothy grin, was Natsu.

"So," He said, keeping his hand on her shoulder. "Ready to go?" Wendy looked at him for a second. Wendy and Natsu were the only two members of the team that had not already boarded the train. Erza, Grey, Lucy and the cats had already gone ahead to claim their seats. Natsu was stalling and Wendy was more than happy to wait outside with him. As she stood there looking at her friend, Wendy decided that maybe her time on that mountain had not been so bad after all. She did get to spend most of it with him. Wendy smiled.

"Yep! Let's get on board and go home!" She responded cheerfully. Wendy spun in place, turning her attention back to the train. It was time to leave this place. Whatever happened on that mountain did not matter. They had survived, together. Keeping this thought close to her heart, Wendy started to board the train. As she stepped into the cabin, she heard Natsu groan.

"I'm glad one of us is." He said pathetically. "I hate trains." Natsu whined. Wendy giggled at her friend. Ever since they returned from their adventure on the mountain, Natsu had gone out of his way to keep an eye on Wendy. The majority of their time had been spent in their hotel room sleeping, but whenever she chose to leave the room, Natsu found an excuse to leave the room as well. It might have just been Wendy's imagination, but she liked the idea of Natsu protecting her, so she was going to keep believing it. Wendy was not sure if Natsu had developed feelings for her, but she knew for a fact that her feelings for him had strengthened considerably during this job. Any time she could spend around him was time well spent in her opinion. Wendy spun in place and looked back to Natsu.

"Oh come on." She said motioning into the train with her head. "The others are waiting for us and the train is going to leave soon. You don't want to get left here do you?" Wendy flickered her hair over her shoulder and shot Natsu her saddest pair of puppy dog eyes. "Cause that would make me sad… Then I might have to cry..." She teased, quivering her bottom lip. Natsu groaned and picked up his bag.

"Alright, alright, finnnne." He grumbled, dragging himself onto the train. "I'm coming, just stop with the eyes would you?" Wendy giggled and skipped ahead of him.

"Nope." She replied sweetly. Wendy led her crush to the area that the rest of their team had gathered. Everyone else from their team had already taken their seats. Erza was holding a piece of paper and was focused on reading it. Lucy was busy dividing up the large sum of money that the team had received from the mayor's office. The mayor was apparently not pleased about the number of his "friends" that had been beaten up by the wizards, but he could not refuse the wizards their payment. His secretary even threw in a large bonus as a thank you for dealing with so many of them. Grey was leaning back in his seat resting his head against the headrest. He looked like he was lost in his own little world. Wendy guessed that he was thinking about a particular person back at the guild who was waiting for him to return. That thought made her smile. Happy and Carla were sitting against the window. They weren't saying anything, but Wendy noticed that the tip of Carla's tail was wrapped around Happy's. It was nice to see the two of them getting along so well. Wendy and Natsu moved to the two seats left in the booth. Natsu sat down next to Lucy and Wendy took the seat directly across from him. As the two sat down, Erza put her paper down and looked at them. Wendy glanced at the paper that she had been holding. It looked like a recipe for strawberry cake that Erza had bought from a bakery in town. Wendy giggled as Erza began to speak.

"Now then," She said with a serious look on her face. "Natsu, you are going to be useless in about five minutes, so I am going to direct this at you, Wendy." Lucy snickered at Erza's comment, earning her an elbow to the ribs from Natsu. The two of them started an elbow war as they repeatedly elbowed each other. Wendy felt a spark of jealousy pop up in the back of her mind, but she quickly extinguished it. Wendy sat up straight and smiled at the older woman.

"Of course." She said cheerfully. "I will help you anyway I can." Erza leaned back against her seat and folded her arms as the train began to move. Wendy felt a light wave of nausea sweep over her but she was able to ignore it.

"We decided that no one would bother you two about this because I wanted you to rest before we returned to the guild, but now I need you to tell me exactly what happened on that mountain." Erza stared at Wendy with a serious expression on her face. Wendy felt self-conscious about having the older woman stare at her like that. "So, what happened after you two were pulled into the river? Tell me everything." Wendy broke eye contact with Erza and looked up at her flower. Just the sight of it help her relax. She was not sure what to tell the older woman. Wendy decided that telling the truth was the best course of action.

"I…I really don't know." Wendy admitted quietly. She looked back at her teammates. "I don't remember anything after hitting the water. It's all fuzzy. I...I think I passed out from something hitting my head." Wendy paused and frowned. "I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you something." She explained. Erza sighed and scratched her head.

"Natsu is the one that saved you I assume?" She asked. Wendy nodded.

"Yeah. If it wasn't for him, I would definitely be dead right now…" Wendy glanced over at the Dragon Slayer sitting across from her. His war with Lucy was officially over. Natsu's face had already turned green as his motion sickness kicked in and left him helpless. Wendy smiled and shook her head as she returned her attention to Erza. "But… I don't know how he managed to save me. His injuries were ten times worse than mine were, but he managed to drag me out of the river, somehow." Erza sighed again.

"Very well." She looked over at Natsu. After a moment she spoke again. "Then I need to talk to him." She explained. "Go ahead and treat his motion sickness." Wendy's face lit up.

"Really!?" She asked excitedly. Erza nodded. She squealed happily and jumped over to sit on Natsu's lap. It was not necessary, but Wendy had sudden the urge to show Lucy that she was closer to Natsu than she was. Her excited response gained her a curious glance from Lucy but Wendy did not care. In her mind, she had made her point. As Wendy began to cast her spell, Troia, Grey finally snapped out of his daze.

"So, why do you need to know about this so badly?" He asked. "I mean, you told us yesterday that we weren't supposed to ask them about it. You told us to leave them alone. What's with the change of heart?" He asked suspiciously. Erza snorted.

"We will be back at the Guild in a few hours." She explained. "At which point not only do I have to make a report to Master Makarov, but everyone in the Guild is going to notice how injured they are." Erza shook her head. "My heart breaks to see them so tired and hurt and I want to spare them the trouble of answering everyone's questions. It will be far easier for us to deal with them rather than letting the rest of the guild pester them." Wendy nodded. She had been curious about Erza's change of heart too. Her response made sense. Frankly, it was very obvious that Wendy and Natsu had been severely injured. Wendy was walking with a very noticeable limp and many of Natsu's external wounds were still visible. While her magic had accelerated the healing process considerably, the pair still needed a few more days to relax before their wounds would completely disappear. Wendy finished casting her spell and slid off Natu's lap.

"All done. How's that feel?" She asked him. "Any better?" Natsu nodded and smiled.

"Heck yeah!" He said energetically. "I feel great! Thanks a million, Wendy!" Natsu dropped his hand on top of her head and started scratching. His scratches sent waves of pleasure through Wendy and she giggled softly, earning another curious look from Lucy. Erza snapped her fingers grabbing Natsu's attention.

"Natsu." She said and looking at him. "You saved Wendy from the river, correct?" Natsu nodded. "Okay, I need you to tell me what happened. Specifically, I need to know how you ended with such severe injuries." Natsu looked at her with a confused look.

"We fell in the river and got beat up by some rocks and stuff. What more do you need to know?" He asked with a defensive undertone. Wendy had the feeling that Natsu was trying to hide something. Erza laughed.

"Really?" She said with a smile that made Wendy feel extremely uncomfortable. "You expect me to believe that the river caused Wendy's leg to snap?" Erza's smile disappeared. You expect me to believe that your injuries that were damn near life threatening were…" Erza's voice trailed off as she fell silent. Her expression changed as if she had realized something very important. Wendy glanced over at Natsu and saw him looking back at Erza with a serious expression on his face. After a few seconds Erza nodded. "I understand..." She said quietly. Wendy was confused. Erza had let that subject drop way too easily. "Never mind. That was more than enough." Did Erza know something that Wendy did not? Erza continued. "Now then. What happened after you two were out of the river?" Natsu began explaining, but Wendy stopped listening. She knew how this story went and was not really interested in hearing it again. Wendy reached up and plucked the flower from her ear and smiled. As she gazed at her flower she felt someone sitting next to her that had not been there before. She looked up and saw that Lucy had switched sides and was now sitting next to her. Her eyes were locked on Wendy's flower.

"Wow!" She said reaching up to touch its petals. Wendy had the urge to pull it away, but she chose not to. She could not bring herself to be so rude to one of her closest friends. "This flower is gorgeous." Lucy said as she gently ran the tip of her finger along the sides of the petals. "Did you find it on the mountain?" Wendy nodded.

"Y-yeah." She replied. "Nats- err I mean, we found it not long before you guys found us. I just thought it was so pretty that I had to bring it with me." Wendy found herself avoiding the fact that Natsu had given it to her. She had not done it on purpose. It just kind of came out that way. Lucy smiled and pulled her hand away. Lucy looked at the petals and then glanced at Wendy's hair.

"Woah! No way, it matches your hair!" She exclaimed. Lucy touched Wendy's hair. "Like perfectly! That's so cool! You're so lucky." Lucy pointed to her hair. "I don't suppose you saw one that matched mine, did you?" Wendy shook her head.

"N-No. I'm sorry Lucy…" Wendy replied. The thought that Lucy did not need a flower from Natsu flashed through her head. Wendy frowned. These thoughts of jealousy were suddenly becoming more and more frequent and Wendy did not like it. Wendy had never been the jealous type. She had never had thoughts like this. But all of a sudden, she was having them every few minutes. Wendy shook her head as she returned her flower to its rightful place. Lucy had continued talking, but Wendy was not listening.

'I need to get myself under control.' She thought sadly. 'I can't let my feelings for Natsu change my attitude towards the others. That's just not who I am.' Wendy glanced over at Carla. The white cat was staring at Natsu, listening intently on his story. He had just gotten to the part about them running away from the apple guys. 'Maybe Carla can help me with that.' Wendy smiled. But that would mean telling Carla about her growing feelings toward Natsu. That was a scary thought by itself. She knew that the sassy cat would not approve. But, it could not be avoided forever and Wendy knew that. She decided to talk to Carla that night when they got back to their dorm. Wendy turned her attention back to Lucy, who was now talking about an article that she had read in Sorcerer's Weekly that morning. Wendy took a deep breath and jumped back into the conversation. Wendy's jealousy did not resurface again the entire ride back to Magnolia.

* * *

As the train pulled into the station, the wizards stood up and started to collect their belongings. Erza and Natsu had talked the entire ride and Wendy was a bit sad that she had not had the chance to steal his attention away. Wendy knew that Erza's questions were really important and she had no right to interrupt them for her own selfishness. The train came to a stop and the wizards began making their way towards the exit. They were all eager to get home and rest in their own beds.

The doors to the train opened and Wendy was greeted with the familiar sight of her favorite city in all of Fiore: her home, Magnolia. She took a deep breath, savoring the rich aromas that filled the air. She loved this city for so many reasons. Natsu let out a laugh.

"Ahhh, it feels so great to be home!" He shouted as he threw his hands up in the air. Wendy smiled and heard Erza chuckle.

"Yes it does." Erza said. "I am relieved that we were all able to make it home intact. Explaining to Master Makarov that we lost Wendy on a mountain would have been very awkward indeed." Wendy noticed that Erza purposefully left Natsu out of her sentence. That fact did not escape Natsu, who turned his head to look at Erza. As he was about to say something, Grey laughed.

"Tell me about it. I'm fine with leaving the flame brain somewhere, but I don't even want to think about what would have happened if we had left Wendy somewhere." Grey said shaking his head. Wendy giggled as Natsu's head snapped around to glare at Grey.

"Hey!" He snapped. Erza ignored him.

"Indeed. No one would have cared it Natsu was gone, but too many people adore Wendy." Erza said as she pulled her luggage out onto the street. "We would be severely punished for leaving her behind." Natu shifted his attention to Erza.

"Hey!" He exclaimed. Wendy laughed again, but it was weaker this time. She did not like the idea of the team leaving Natsu anywhere. She knew they were joking, but it still made her uncomfortable. Carla snorted.

"That sounds heavenly." The white cat laughed. "I say we go back to Everwater City and kick him out of the window a we ride past." Lucy let out an evil laugh.

"Yeah. Heck we would probably be rewarded for finally ditching that violent moron. Everyone would probably throw a party!" She said throwing up her hands. "No more Natsu! Oh my gosh, I can practically imagine the peace and quiet already!" Natsu spun his body around and started to say something in response, but Wendy spoke up before anyone had the chance to continue this game.

"M-Maybe we should get back to the guild." She said quietly. Wendy really wanted everyone to leave Natsu alone. "I really want to get back and see everyone." Wendy gave everyone her sweetest smile as she talked. Grey laughed.

"Yeah, alright." He said smacking Natsu in the head. He was rewarded with an angry snap and a few unkind words from Natsu. "I wouldn't mind getting back to the guild anyway. Juvia should be back by now." Juvia was another wizard in Fairy Tail. Juvia was a Water Wizard and was extremely close to Grey. The two of them were nearly inseparable if they were not on a job. Wendy thought they were utterly adorable looked at Grey and could tell that he was eager to get back and see her. Wendy smiled.

"Yay!" Wendy said as she skipped to the front of the group. She loved to be the first one into the guild hall when the team returned from a job. It was just something she had always done. Wendy took a few steps before Carla appeared in front of her.

"Hold on a second child." The cat said. "You need to take it easy. Your leg is still not fully healed and you are barely able to put any weight on it!" Wendy glanced down at her leg.

"Carla…" Wendy said sweetly. "I'm not limping that badly…" She explained. Lucy stepped up next to her.

"Actually, Wendy," Lucy said motioning down towards Wendy's leg. "Your limp is definitely worse than it was when we left Everwater City." Carla nodded.

"Exactly. Just please, do be careful." Carla pleaded. Wendy nodded.

"Okay Carla," Wendy answered bending down to pick Carla up. She set the cat on her shoulder. "I will be more careful." The cat nodded in satisfaction and they continued their walk back to Fairy Tail. It did not take Wendy long to notice that Natsu had moved to the front of the group and was walking just a few steps behind her. A smile crossed Wendy's face. He was still watching out for her.

As she led the group down the crowded street, Wendy suddenly felt a sharp pain in her leg. Wendy let out a short gasp as her leg gave out from under her and she fell to the ground. She felt Carla tumble off of her shoulder as she fell. Right before she hit the ground, she felt an arm appear beneath her and stop her. She instantly caught the scent of the person that had caught her and she felt her cheeks warming up.

"Hey now." Natsu said cheerfully as he carefully pulled Wendy back to her feet. "Didn't Carla just tell you to be careful?" He asked laughing. Wendy nodded and frowned.

"I thought I was." She replied looking down. A sharp pain radiated throughout her leg. "My leg just gave out on me and now it hurts like hell." Wendy gasped and clapped her hand over her mouth. But it was too late.

"WENDY!" Carla shouted. "How dare you use such foul language?!" Natsu started laughing like an idiot and carefully turned Wendy around so that she was sitting on the ground in front of him. Carla turned her attention to the pink haired Dragon Slayer. "You!" She snapped, pointing her paw at Natsu. "Do not encourage a young lady to speak in such a deplorable and disrespectful manner! Wendy is better than that." Carla glared at Natsu. "I am beginning to wonder what kind of influence you have had over her in your time together." Natsu shrugged and looked back at Wendy

"Anyway, Wendy," Natsu said with a big grin on his face. "It sounds to me like you can't make it back to the Guild on your own. If you'd like, I could give you a hand with that." Wendy could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks as her face turned beat red. Natsu's words earned him a strange glance from Lucy, but he did not seem to notice. Natsu kneeled down on the ground next to Wendy "What do you say? Want me to carry you the rest of the way?" He asked, laying his hand on her shoulder. Wendy knew her answer immediately, but the only response she could communicate was a quiet whimper. Before she had a chance to compose herself, Carla smacked Natsu in the back of the head with her tail.

"Absolutely not!" She shouted. "She does not need YOU to carry her anywhere!" Carla folded her arms. "Your presence has corrupted her enough. I will carry Wendy back to the guild. You can keep your grubby paws to yourself." Carla snapped. Wendy looked at the cat in shock. Wendy never expected her to react so harshly to something so innocent. It made her wonder if telling the cat about her feelings was a good idea after all. Natsu took a step back and held up both of his hands in surrender.

"Okay." He said stepping behind Happy. Wendy knew that Carla would not back down no matter what Natsu said. It was up to Wendy to calm her cat down. Natsu slowly lowered his hands. "You don't need to bite my head off. I know that you can-"

"I want Natsu to Carry me back!" Wendy interrupted. She could feel the heat radiating off of her cheeks. Everyone looked at her in stunned silence. After a few seconds, Erza giggled quietly. She walked over to Wendy and laid her hand on her shoulder. Erza chuckled proudly.

"Well." Erza said with a sly grin. "It sounds to me like the young lady has made her choice. Wouldn't you agree, Carla?" Erza turned her attention to the silent cat standing behind crossed her arms and turned her back to the rest of the group. Wendy could tell she was upset.

"Fine." She said without looking at any of them. "Do whatever you want. I don't care." Wendy looked at Carla. She was not sure what she should do next. Wendy looked at Erza for advice. Erza nodded silently and walked back over to her luggage, shoving Natsu towards Wendy as she walked past. "Get over there and help the young lady." She said with a mischievous smile. Natsu snapped out of his stupor and looked at Wendy. She could tell that Natsu was still not sure if he was actually allowed to carry her or not. Wendy giggled happily and motioned for Natsu to come over and pick her up. He wasted no time scooping her up and helping her onto his back. As he picked her up, Natsu was extremely gentle when handling her leg. As Wendy made herself comfortable, she saw Lucy storm past them. It looked like she was going out of her way to ignore the two of them.

"Come on." She said with a strangely cold undertone. "We are late enough already." Lucy did not wait for any kind acknowledgement and continued walking. Most of the team walked after her. Natsu, Wendy and Carla were left standing together in the middle of the street. Wendy looked over at Carla. The cat was still refusing to look at them. After a few seconds, Carla silently turned and started walking after the rest of the group. Wendy frowned.

"Ah, come on Carla." She said gently. "I didn't mean to make you mad." The cat continued walking without saying a word. "I just thought this would be easier on all of us. If you feel that strongly about it, you can take me back." Carla stopped. She spoke without turning around.

"I know you didn't child. It's fine." She said plainly. Without saying another word, Carla continued walking down the street. Wendy watched her walk until the small cat disappeared around a corner. She sighed and looked down at Natsu..

"Oh no…" She said quietly. "I really pissed her off didn't I?" Natsu nodded.

"Looks like it." He replied. "Don't worry about it though. She'll be fine. She's a tough little cat. This is the easiest way to get you back." Wendy nodded but she was not convinced.

"Yeah, You're probably right…" She said with an unsure tone. Natsu laughed

"Hell yeah I'm right!" He laughed as he started running. "Come on! We can't let them beat us home!" He said as he charged forward. Wendy felt a large grin spreading across her face. No matter what was happening, Natsu always managed to put a smile on her face.

"Damn right!" She shouted as she pointed forward. "Onward my trusty steed! To Fairy Tail!" The pair laughed as they raced forward, blowing past the other members of their team in seconds.

* * *

Less than ten minutes later, Natsu and Wendy came to a screeching halt outside the front door of Fairy Tail. Wendy scanned the building with her eyes. Just like the last time she saw it, a gentle chill ran through her body. She was home. Natsu walked up to the front door.

"Hmm…" He said as he cocked his head off to the side. Wendy looked down at him and giggled.

"Careful." She said with a sweet smile. "Don't think to hard. You might hurt yourself." Natsu snorted.

"Ha ha, very funny." He said loosening his grip on her legs. Wendy felt herself starting to slide down his back. "Careful, I might accidentally drop you if you keep that up." Wendy wrapped her arms around Natsu's head and squeezed his face.

"You can't drop me if I hold onto you like this!" She exclaimed as she squeezed a bit harder. Natsu tried to say something, but his words were muffled by Wendy's arms. Wendy was going to wait until he tightened his grip around her legs before she would move her arms. "Come on, you wouldn't let an innocent girl fall on cold, hard ground, would you?" After a few seconds, Natsu tightened his grip and Wendy loosened her arms. She smiled at her victory. "So, what were you thinking about anyway?" She asked him. Finally able to speak, Natsu pointed at the door.

"I can't open the door." He said simply. Wendy laughed.

"What, did you forget how doors work?" She teased. Natsu loosened his arms again and she started sliding again. Wendy grabbed onto his head again. "Okay, okay. Please don't do that." She pleaded. Natsu chuckled.

"I'm serious." Natsu said laughing. "I can't let go to open the door because you might fall off. Think you could be useful and open the door?" He teased. Wendy Looked down at the door.

"Oh, I dunno…" She yawned. "That's an awwwwful lot of work. I think you should open it and keep me from falling at the same time." Wendy giggled. She loved these little banters she had with Natsu. They felt so natural to her. Natsu was about to respond when a voice appeared behind them.

"Well, look at this." A cheerful voice said. "Isn't this the cutest thing ever." Mirajane walked up next to the pair and smiled at them. "Welcome home you two. Is it just the two of you?" She asked looking around. "Are the others not with you?" Wendy giggled.

"Hi Mira." She said sweetly. "We ran here from the station. Erza and the others should be here soon." Mira nodded.

"So you two wanted to race here huh? That's so adorable!" Mira giggled as she reached for the door handle. "Here Natsu, You look like your hands are full. Let me open the door…" Mira trailed off as her eyes fell upon Wendy's leg. Even though her bone was repaired, the leg itself was covered in an ugly bruise. It was very clear that it had been broken. Mirajane silently looked up at Wendy. She stared at Wendy, her eyes demanding an immediate explanation. Wendy scratched her head and giggled.

"Yeaaaah…" She said uncomfortably. "We had a bit of an accident on our job. B-b-b-but it's fine now!" Wendy stammered. Mira narrowed her eyes and pointed at Wendy's leg.

"Is that why Natsu is carrying you?" She asked coldly. Wendy felt a chill run up her spine. Mira was the sweetest woman in Fiore, but she was extremely protective of her guildmates. If she found out about what happened to them, she would probably break down into tears right there, and that would be incredibly awkward in front of the guild. Wendy had no clue how to answer her question.

"N-no… Well, Yeah...Kinda…" She smiled nervously as she faltered under the older woman's gaze. Wendy leaned down next to Natsu's ear. "Help me out here! I don't want to make her cry! You do it!" She whispered. Natsu glared at her for a second before looking back at Mira and let out a nervous laugh.

"Well Mira…" He said quietly. "Wendy kinda, fell during our job and hurt her leg a bit… We, umm, I mean she fixed it up… but I umm…" Mira's gaze suddenly broke and her face softened into the sweetest smile either of them had ever seen. Her face seemed to give off an angelic glow.

"I see." She said reaching for the door again. "Accidents happen. As long as you're okay, that's all that matters. Here, I'll open the door for you." Mira opened the door and walked inside. Wendy and Natsu both let out a relieved sigh. Wendy dropped her head on top of Natu's.

"Jeez that sucked…" She mumbled so only Natsu could hear her. Wendy picked her head up and tapped Natsu's head. "Hey, trusty steed: Let me down. I think I can walk from here." She teased. Natsu groaned.

"I should drop you on your ass for that." He mumbled as he gently let Wendy slide off his back onto the ground. He offered her his arm to steady herself as she stood up. Wendy giggled.

"You wouldn't do that." She said accepting his arm and standing up slowly. Wendy carefully put her leg on the ground. "It hurts, but not nearly as bad as it did a little while ago." She said bending her leg. "I should be able to walk on it." Natsu nodded and pulled his arm away.

"If you're sure." He said as he walked forward. "Just be careful okay?" He looked at he over his shoulder. "Let me know if it starts to hurt again. I don't mind carrying you if you need me to." Wendy nodded and started walking. She still had a pretty bad limp, but it was nothing some sleep would not fix. As Wendy walked into the guild, she immediately realized something was wrong. The guild hall was practically empty.

"Woah!" She said gazing around the near empty room. "I have never seen this place so deserted! Where is everyone?" She asked Mira as the older woman walked past some empty tables.

They are out gathering supplies." Mira said matter-of-factly. That did not help. Wendy was about to ask for more information when A voice appeared to her right.

"I sent nearly everyone out to gather the supplies we need for the Harvest Festival of course." A man's voice said. Natsu and Wendy turned and saw an extremely short man with a thick mustache smiling at them. "Welcome home my children." He said proudly.

"Master Makarov!" Wendy exclaimed happily. Natsu greeted Master Makarov and Wendy realized what he had said. The others were out gather supplies for the Harvest Festival. Honestly, she had totally forgotten about the festival. It was in less than a week away. She needed to decide what she was going to do during the Festival this year, but now was not the time to worry about that. Wendy kneeled down and gave Master Makarov a hug. "We are so happy to be home. Things got a little… tough on our job…" She said quietly as her eyes fell to the floor. Makarov nodded.

"I can tell." He said examining the two wizards standing in front of him. "Your magic in impressive Wendy, but it still leaves tell tale signs on the skin of those you heal." Makarov sighed. "You two look like you went through hell and back. Thank goodness you made it back in one piece." Before Wendy had a chance to answer, the rest of their team walked through the open doors. Makarov looked at them and smiled. "Well, everyone else looks like they sat on their butts in the hotel the whole time." He laughed. Erza nodded and walked over to speak with Master Makarov as the rest of the team dispersed. Grey walked over to Mira and started speaking to her while Happy attached himself to Natsu's shoulder. The two of them ran over to the bar looking for something to eat. Wendy looked around but she did not see Carla or Lucy.

'Lucy probably went straight home.' Wendy thought as she walked over to the entrance. 'She seemed really angry earlier. I hope she isn't too mad at me…' Wendy frowned. She did not like the idea of Lucy hating her for any reason. Wendy walked over to the doors and looked around outside. Carla was nowhere to be seen. That made her feel even worse. 'Did I hurt her feelings that badly?' Wendy thought. She was worried about her little cat. She should at least have come to the guild hall. 'If she is not here, then where is she?' After a moment of thinking, Wendy had an idea. She knew of one person, or rather cat, that would know where Carla had gone. Wendy turned her attention back to the inside of the guild hall. She could hear Erza giving Master Makarov her report about their job and what had happened. Ignoring their conversation, she looked over to the bar and saw Natsu and Happy sitting at the bar eating something. Wendy locked her eyes on the blue cat. He would know where she went because he probably tried to stop her. Wendy nodded and walked over to the bar. She sat down next to Happy and Natsu. As she sat down Happy turned and looked at her.

"Hi Wendy." The cat said with a fish sticking out of his mouth. "Wanna bite?" He asked. Wendy giggled.

"No thanks, Happy." She said with a smile. "Hey, do you know where Carla is?" Wendy asked turning around to look at the hall again. "I noticed she didn't come in with the rest of you guys." Happy perked up like he just remembered something he had forgotten.

"Oh right!" He said, swallowing his fish whole. "I was supposed to tell you as soon as we got to the Guild." Happy pointed at the doors. "Carla wanted me to tell you that she wants to talk to you. Alone. She said she was going to wait for you by the river behind the guild." Happy frowned and looked at the floor. "I forgot. I'm sorry, Wendy..." Wendy smiled and petted Happy.

"That's okay. Thank you for telling me." She said with a warm grin. Happy perked up. Wendy spun around in her chair and started walking towards the exit. She took a few steps before she heard Natsu behind her.

"Hey, Wendy." He said. Wendy turned around and looked at him. Natsu had turned around in his seat. He smiled at her. "Be careful okay? Don't push your leg too much." Wendy could hear the concern in his voice. It made her feel happy that he was still worried about her. Wendy nodded.

"I will be. I'll see you later okay?" She smiled and waved to Natsu. She spun around and walked towards the door. Wendy had to make sure Carla was not mad at her. She walked out of the guild hall and made her way to the river.

* * *

By the time Wendy found Carla, the sun was setting and it was casting an orange glow on the river. Carla was standing on the bank of the river with her back to Wendy. As Wendy approached, Carla turned around and looked at her. The cat spoke to Wendy and her words sent a chill up the young woman's spine.

"Now then." Carla said. "You and I have to talk."

* * *

 **End Chapter 6**


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